The Monster Within
by mckee11223
Summary: First fox on the force and desperate to prove himself, Rookie cop Nick Wilde has 48 hours to find the missing Emmet Otterton. When he realizes that he can't do it alone, he has to get help from the most notorious mercenary in Zootopia: Judy Hopps. (role-reversal AU)
1. Prologue

Prologue

She was so proud.

She'd scraped and saved and worked, and him along with her, and finally, she was able to buy him a uniform.

The young red fox looked at himself in the cracked mirror, puffed out his chest, straightened his hat, and collapsed in a fit of giggles when his mother tickled him.

He wanted nothing more than to be a Junior Ranger Scout. And it didn't matter that he was going to be the only predator there, because _by god_ he was going to fit in.

He could hardly wait. His feet were springs, jumping up and down and up and down until the clock chimed 6. As soon as that _bong_ resonated throughout the little apartment, he kissed his mother on the snout and ran out the door.

She was so proud of her little boy.

He nearly overshot the building, he was so excited. Two at a time, he skipped up the stairs, and arrived in a room with the other scout members. He high-fived a zebra and beamed brightly at a beaver, the largest of the animals.

"Ready?"

He scoffed. "I was pretty much born ready."

The lights dimmed, and a bright light illuminated his face.

"Recite the oath," The beaver said in a mystical voice.

"I, Nicholas P. Wilde, promise to be kind, loyal, helpful, and trustworthy," He recited without hesitation.

"Even though you're a FOX?"

"Huh?"

The light shut, and the beaver pushed him down. He landed with a cry as two others, he couldn't see through his fear, held him down. The beaver pressed something down onto his snout.

"No! No! Please! What did I do? What did I do!" He screamed, but they didn't care. The muzzle snapped on, its cold metal pressing up against his fur. He squirmed again, but they held him down hard.

"You thought we would ever trust a fox without a muzzle? You're even dumber than you look." The words tore at his heart, hurt him more than any punch ever could. Desperately, he clawed in the dark, heard a cry, felt their grip loosen and sprinted away as fast as his paws could carry him.

He heard them laughing cruelly behind him, and one of them called out, "Did you ever think we could trust a FOX?" and burst out laughing like it was the funniest thing in the world.

He flattened himself against the wall, their laughs echoing in his head. He'd lost his hat, and his uniform was torn. A tear slid down his cheek, then another, and soon he was crying, crying to forget, crying to remember.

The horrible muzzle suffocated him. Black spots danced at the edge of his vision, and he fought to pry the horrible strap off. It slipped over his ears, and he threw that horrible thing away, far away from him. It landed with a clatter near a sewer grate, and he willed it to fall in.

 _I promise,_ he thought between hiccups and sobs, _I promise no one will_ ever _treat me like that again. I promise to be kind, loyal, helpful, and trustworthy. I promise that I'll be the best, the nicest, the_ most _trustworthy animal in Zootopia. They'll like me. I'll make them like me. I'll never be a sneaky sly fox, and everyone will know, and then they'll see how wrong they are._

The red and blue lights of a passing police car startled him out of his trance, but in no time at all, he was mesmerized by it. He wiped a paw across his cheek and straightened his bandana. His eyes, though still brimming with tears, were filled with something new, something bold.

Hope.

Being a police officer would bring him that much closer.


	2. Chapter 1

_5:30._

The alarm sounded like a swarm of mosquitos buzzing in his ear. He swatted at it, and the alarm clock just fell to the ground and continued ringing.

Suddenly, he snapped wide awake. He looked around his cramped little apartment, so different with its thin cot and painted walls, and remembered where he was.

Savannah Central, the heart of Zootopia.

The fox jumped up, jumped over his annoying clock, and got dressed in a matter of minutes. The uniform fit snugly over his fur, and he straightened out his badge proudly. He looked at himself in the mirror, puffed out his chest, straightened his hat, and laughed. His voice was so much deeper than before. It took him 23 years, but he finally got here.

He wished his mother was here. He wanted to thank her, for all her support over the years, but…

He refocused his gaze. Today was about new beginnings, not grim realities.

Without thinking, he reached for his tail to hide it, and stopped himself. He's a fox. It's nothing to be ashamed of.

Still it's a hard mentality to overcome, but he ended up leaving his tail free. It felt unnaturally bare, the fur swaying gently in the cold draft.

 _5:35. Beep beep beep._

He growled and stomped over to the alarm clock to turn it off. Then, he grabbed his phone and keys and raced out the door.

He had to remind himself to come back and get his sunglasses.

* * *

Sahara Central was blisteringly hot. He still had to shield his eyes, even through the thick sunglasses. He tried to ignore the dirty glares he got, and the wide berth animals gave him as they walked. Nervously, he reached for his tail again, and had to stab himself with his badge pin to remind himself not to.

It didn't end when he got to work. Sure, the cheetah at the front desk was very friendly…

"O-M-Goodness. They really did hire a fox. What! You're even more handsome than I imagined!"

He blinked. "Um. Thanks?" He felt the urge to hide his tail again, but settled for holding out his paw for a handshake. The table was taller than he was, and he had to reach up. "I'm Nick Wilde, new to the force. And you must be?"

The cheetah sighed. "Me, Benjamin Clawhauser. The guy that everyone thinks is just a flabby, donut loving cop, stereotyping you."

He chuckled. "Yeah, it's alright." He didn't even bother mentioning the donut caught in the cheetah's neck folds. "So… May I ask where the conference room is?"

Benjamin found the donut and happily chomped down on it. "Oh, bullpen's over there to the left," He mumbled. Nick thanked him politely and walked into the room. Still, his sensitive fox ears picked on Benjamin's quiet murmurs.

"Oh, that poor fox is gonna get eaten alive."

Nick's ear twitched, but otherwise, he hoped he didn't show any signs of hearing.

He took a spot in the front row, and nearly fell off the chair. It was twice his height, and he had to scramble up it rather indignantly.

When he finally got on it, he had to stand to see over.

The other animals in the room were all cheering and jostling each other. He longed to join in, but he knew that they wouldn't accept him, he would get hurt, or he might hurt someone.

Thinking logically has gotten him past the last lonely couple years, and it hasn't failed him yet.

A huge cape buffalo walked into the room. No, walked is too light of a word. _Stomped_ into the room. The entire place fell silent. The buffalo had a _presence,_ like you could sense he was someone of importance.

"Alright. I've got three items on the document," He said, his voice booming. "First, we need to acknowledge the elephant in the room."

Nick's heart nearly jumped out of his chest. _Is he talking about me?_

"Francine, happy birthday."

The room erupted in chaos, but in the midst of it was happiness and acceptance. Francine reached over and tousled a tiger's head violently, but affectionately. The rhino beside him clapped awkwardly, and Nick could honestly say that he felt his pain.

"Number two: there is a new recruit among us I should introduce, but I'm not going to, because I don't care."

Nick stayed perfectly still while all the animals around him laughed. _Don't draw attention, don't draw attention, don't draw attention._ He chuckled, but it came out awkward and forced.

"Finally, we have fourteen missing mammal cases," He pointed a finger at a map on the wall. Tacked on it were pictures of animals. "All predators, from a giant polar bear, to a teensy otter. And city hall is right up my tail to find them. This is priority number one."

The Chief grabbed a stack of case files and began handing them out. "Officers Fangmeyer, McHorn, Francine…"

Nick waited patiently for his name to be called. He shifted uncomfortably; the chair was far too big for him, and he felt so small and insignificant in this world full of huge predators and prey. He didn't feel like a fox. He felt like an easy-to-squash bug.

Finally, the room was empty. He resisted the urge to look around in confusion.

"Officer Wilde… Parking duty. Dismissed."

There are no words to describe the expression of shock on Nick's face. He immediately jumped down from his chair and raised his paw in question.

"Um, sir? Did you say… Parking duty? Well, I, uh, as you know, I was at the top of my class," He said.

The buffalo turned around and put on glasses, making Nick feel even smaller than before. "I knew that. I just don't care."

He tried again. "There are 5 districts. I could take a case. The other officers are already spread thin, and – "

"Officer Wilde, you would do well to do what you are told."

"Sir, with all due respect, I'm not just some lazy fox."

The Chief took his glasses off and walked away. "Then giving 100 tickets today shouldn't be a problem for you, should it?" He called in passing.

"But, sir, aren't ticketing quotas illegal?" Nick asked, but the door swung back in his face and nearly crushed his foot. He sighed and smoothed back his hat. Wonderful.

 **Sorry for the slow start. You guys get to see Judy next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 2

The stupid reflective vest was chafing at his fur, and he looked like an orange traffic cone. Even though he was _so very kindly given_ some sort of three-wheeled _jokemobile,_ he parked it and chose to walk as soon as possible, and for good reason.

The weather was nice, but the sun was still too bright, and he longed for his dark, little fox towns and neighbourhoods.

A meter's tag switched to red. He looked around, but no one else was here. Hesitantly, he put a ticket on the car.

A meter down the block clicked, and he walked towards it. An elk came out of a nearby store with an armful of groceries, and Nick paused in his step.

"Would you like any help, miss?" He offered, but the elk turned rudely away and walked to the overtime car. Nick raced after her. "Miss, this time I can let you off with a warning, but your meter ran out of time just a few minutes ago, and –"

"I have pepper spray. If you don't get away from me, I'll call the police," She hissed, and laboriously took out her car keys.

"Really, miss, I'm an officer. If you need help, you can always ask."

The elk guffawed. "You? A cop?" She shoved all her stuff in the backseat and snapped a picture of Nick.

"Hey, what?"

She typed rapidly on it and took out her can of pepper spray. "I have my finger on 911. If you don't leave, I'll report you for impersonating an officer and spray you."

Dejectedly, Nick put up his paws and backed slowly away. There were other expired meters on this block, but he backed way out of the way of the elk and walked onto another block.

He backed into a rhino and hastily excused himself. The rhino huffed and walked on, casting distrustful glances at Nick.

He began putting tickets on cars again, careful to wait at least a minute before even _starting_ to write it. It's not anyone's fault if they're held up momentarily.

Suddenly, he halted. His head whipped around to see a rabbit strolling down the street, whistling softly. Abandoning all pretenses, he sprinted off and hid behind a trash can.

 _A rabbit._

 _I've never seen one before._

 _I heard they live in a part of the Burrows…_

 _They rarely come out, don't they?_

 _What's a cute little thing like her doing in a big bad city like Zootopia?_

 _I should… Talk to her…_

 _But what if she runs away?_

His tail was waving side by side in wide arcs, and he could do little to stop it. The sound of meters expiring hit him in the head like a huge concession of failure: _click click click. Tick tock. Time is running out._

He stood up suddenly, smoothed down his uniform, and tried to stride naturally towards the rabbit. It felt robotic.

"Hi!" He called out, just a tad too far away for it to be natural. The rabbit smiled good-naturedly and closed the distance. "Do you happen to have the time?"

She smiled widely, showing two perfect rabbit teeth. "Let me check," She said happily, and reached for her phone. Carrot. Same as his. "It's 10:20," She told him.

He blinked a few times. "Um. Yeah. Okay. Thanks." He stayed just a second too long and winced inwardly, when she started talking again.

"Say, are you a police officer? What precinct are you in?" She asked, falling into stride beside him.

He was caught off guard. "Precinct one," He blurted out.

She nodded. "That must've been such a huge honor. You must really be an upstanding citizen, being the first fox on the force and all. Nick Wilde, right? You were on the news the other day."

He beamed, and sloppily stuck a ticket. "Yes. I – I can't believe you recognized me."

"You're the only fox on the force," She said in a deadpan, but burst out laughing.

Nick nodded, but he was too busy staring up in dismay at a giraffe's car, several heads taller than he was. The meter was flashing red, red, red.

"Here, let me get that," The rabbit said, and snatched the waiting ticket in his paws. She wagged her tail and launched herself from the ground, bounced off a lamppost, an awning, trapped the ticket between the windshield wipers, and fell back down with an acrobatic flip.

"I give that a nine," She said. "The tumble was a bit off."

Nick just stared wide-eyed at this bunny. Who _was_ she?

She looked back on her Carrot phone and smacked herself in the forehead. "Ugh! I lost track of time. Sorry, gotta bounce, pun intended!" She dashed off and rounded the corner before Nick could even think to say "bye."

Quite stunned by what happened, he busied himself with tickets.

Soon, though, he ran into her again. He thought about calling out to her, but didn't.

She was talking to a huge ram, but in his head, he was thinking, _you lay a hand on her, buddy, and you answer to the ZPD._

He watched silently as they finished talking, exchanged a handshake, and the ram handed her a briefcase. She gave him a solemn nod, so different from the perky, go-happy attitude she had just moments ago.

Curious, he began following her.

He watched her go into a building near Sahara Square, a huge plaza full of shops and restaurants. He was about to turn around and leave when he saw her again, this time on the roof of that building.

With a mounting horror, he realized that she was setting up some sort of sniper contraption.

He immediately began running full tilt towards the building, but he knew he was too late when he heard the high pitched _zip_ of a bullet flying through the air.

All hell broke loose.

A tiger, who was giving a speech on the stage, suddenly roared and charged, raking his razor-sharp claws across a passing sheep. The sheep fainted, clumps of wool missing, and Nick ran forward.

"Stop! ZPD!" He shouted, but the tiger didn't seem to hear. "HEY! Stop in the name of peace!"

He managed to get a young polar bear and a group of rodents to safety before the panic overpowered him. He covered his ears and frantically radioed for help.

The tiger heard it, turned around, and Nick's blood froze.

The last thing he remembered was the shrill, piercing wail of a siren.


	4. Chapter 3

"Nick Wilde, to the chief's office," The voice came over the PA. He groaned inwardly, grabbed a neat stack of reports, and trudged to Bogo's office.

He walked past an otter and Clawhauser at the front desk. All his instincts told him to stop and help her, she looked so sad, but he needed to talk to the chief first.

He rapped silently on the door.

"Come in."

Tentatively, Nick pushed the door open and slipped in, closing it behind him. Chief Bogo had on his glasses, and was reading the _Zootopia Times_ intently. With a sinking feeling, he saw Sahara square on the front page, underneath the headline "Attack by Feral Tiger!"

"You wanted to see me?" He said in a voice barely higher than a whisper.

Bogo pushed up his glasses. "Officer Wilde, I gave you the simplest, least dangerous job on the force. And what do you do?"

"Sir, I can explain, I –" He began.

"You abandon your post, endanger innocent citizens by neglecting protocol, chase after a dangerous felon armed with little more than your teeth and claws, leave your service vehicle alone and unguarded, but, in your defence, you did manage to apprehend the sniper." Bogo leaned closer to Nick. "No. No you didn't."

"I thought our job was to protect mammals at all costs!"

"And you didn't. You let the gunman get away."

"Gun _woman._ Sir, I tried. And I saw her face! I can identify her again! The whole point is that –"

Clawhauser cracked open the door. "Chief, Mrs. Otterton is here again about her husband."

"Not now!" Chief Bogo growled. He turned back to Nick. "The whole point is that you failed." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Life isn't some cartoon musical where you sing a little song and all your dreams magically come true. _Trying_ doesn't cut it in the real world."

"I'm not saying that I want my dreams to come true! We have a real chance at capturing this rabbit and saving more citizens if you would just _trust me!_ "

"The first time you encountered danger, you fainted and nearly got killed. What makes you think I'm willing to trust you again?"

Clawhauser came into the room again. "She really means it this time."

"Can't you see I'm in the middle of a meeting?"

Clawhauser began to back out again when a tiny little otter slinked past him and into the room.

"Please, Chief Bogo. Emmet's been missing for 3 days. He's a kind mammal. He never hurt anyone. We have young kids – please."

"Ma'am, our detectives are very busy," Chief Bogo said awkwardly.

"Please, there's got to be somebody who can find my Emmet."

"Mrs. Otterton –"

"I will find him." The chief turned around to see Nick hopping down from his chair with a defiant look in his eyes.

"Oh, thank you! Bless you, bless you, officer fox," Mrs. Otterton cried. She ran forward and gave Nick a huge hug. The fox stiffened, before softening and returning it.

She wiped tears from her cheek and handed him a picture. It was a family photo of the Ottertons. Emmet was smiling and hugging his wife in the foreground while their children played behind them. Nick's heart melted.

"Take this. Find my Emmet. Bring him home to me and my babies. Please."

Chief Bogo cleared his throat. "Mrs. Otterton, please wait out here." He directed her towards the door.

She cast another look back at Nick and gave him a warm smile. "Of course. Oh, thank you both so much."

"One second," Bogo said as he closed the door.

He closed his eyes and turned towards Nick slowly. "You're fired."

"What? Why?"

"INSUBORDINATION! Now, I'm going to open this door and you're going to tell that otter you're a former meter jockey with delusions of grandeur who will not be taking the case." Nick had his mouth wide open in protest, but the chief chose not to notice.

He opened the door, and saw the bouncing wool of a sheep.

"Assistant Mayor Bellwether!"

"So. Officer _Wilde_ is taking the case." She didn't sound particularly pleased. "I supposed the Mammal Inclusion Initiative is finally making progress."

"Yes, well –"

She pulled him aside and out of earshot of Mrs. Otterton. "Are you sure you're going to trust the case to a _fox_?" She hissed, surprising him. She cleared her throat and put on a peppy face. "I mean, of course you are. Great. Seeing as how he bungled up that riot in Sahara Square the other day, I wouldn't be surprised if he falls in the line of duty, so to speak."

She walked back to the door, looking smug. Mrs. Otterton still looked extremely grateful, but Chief Bogo just had a change of heart.

He closed the door as close to Bellwether's face as possible and turned back to Nick. The fox was majorly ashamed, and looked like he was pruning his tail into nonexistence.

"You get 48 hours."

"Wait, what?"

Chief Bogo put his hand over his eyes. "Oh, I can't stand that sheep. Always interfering with _my_ officers and _my_ plans and _my_ operations," He muttered.

Nick looked hopeful.

"48 hours to find Emmet Otterton. You strike out, you resign."

Nick's heart was pounding in his chest. Potentially help a very nice otter and her kids find her husband and prove himself, or not take the case and get stuck as a meter jockey for the rest of his life?

"Deal."

They shook on it.

* * *

"Here you go. One missing otter." Clawhauser passed him a case file. His tail flew through the air and smacked Nick in the face.

"Benj –"

 _Smack._ "What was that?" The cheetah asked, turning around.

Nick batted the tail away from his face. It was surprisingly stiff. "Just – nothing."

"Okay." _Smack._ He sat back down and started drinking a bottle of sode.

Nick fumed and picked up the file. It was really _really_ small.

He opened it.

Clawhauser guffawed. "Whoa! That's the smallest case file I've ever seen! Evidence: none. Witnesses: none. And resources: none, because you're not in the system yet! Ha! Hope you didn't bet your whole career on this."

Nick gulped and pretended to look intently at the photo beneath the meager information. The time stamp told him it was taken just a week ago.

Emmet Otterton was walking and waving to someone. Still, even squinting his eyes, he couldn't see who it was. Handily, he snatched Clawhauser's empty soda bottle that he was slurping annoyingly on, and used it as a magnifying glass.

From behind a mailbox, he saw just the tip of a pair of ears poking out. Darker tipped, with grey fur. His eyes narrowed.

Not that he's seen many rabbits, but he swore there was only one rabbit in Zootopia, along that one particular street…


	5. Chapter 4

He ran into her that same day, after walking up and down that street a few dozen times. Finally, he saw that same rabbit walking along the street, wearing jeans and a pink flannel shirt, whistling softly.

He walked up to her and nearly bumped into a group of beavers repaving the road. He stepped nimbly around them, marveling at their unbelievable teeth, and caught up to her.

"Hi. Remember me? Officer Wilde, ZPD."

She turned around innocently. "Is there something wrong, officer?"

Somehow, that set him off. _Does she not feel sorry? She could have hurt so many innocent mammals in that square!_

He clenched his teeth and swallowed his words. "Miss, I have some questions about a case."

"Oh! Yeah! Sure!" She replied perkily, bouncing on her toes.

He blinked a few times. "Um. Okay." He looked down on his notepad. There was literally only one question, scribbled hastily using Clawhauser's pink pen: WHERE IS EMMET OTTERTON?

He rubbed the back of his neck and stared at the page. "So, um, what's your name?" He asked sheepishly.

"Judy Hopps, of Bunnyburrow. You might have heard of the Hopps farms?" She stuck out her paw to shake, and he took it.

He nodded. "Your blueberries are really good," He blurted out. He could've smacked himself. _Case, case, case. Stay on the case. You only have 48 hours, and none of them should be spent chatting with a sniper._

She blushed and smiled.

He cleared his throat and looked at the useless notepad again. "One week ago today, you were walking down this same street, correct?"

She nodded enthusiastically.

He was taken back. _Why is she HELPING me?_

"Did you happen to see an otter by the name of Emmet Otterton?"

She nodded again. Her ears flapped every time she nodded, as if she was about to use them as wings and fly away. "I pass by him every day." Almost as an afterthought, she added, "I haven't seen him this last week though."

"So do you know where he is?" A spark of hope ignited in him. Maybe she does have information!

She shook her head sadly. "Sorry. But I do know where he went the last day I saw him, though."

 _This is farther than I thought I'd get._

"Can you take me there?"

She thought about it for a second, then nodded again.

She turned tail and started walking the other direction, motioning for Nick to follow. He raced over, even while everyone around them cast him dirty looks. Judy didn't seem to notice. She kept skipping forwardly, happily as ever. He found himself wondering how someone so happy and chipper could be a wolf in sheep's clothing.

That was it. He couldn't hold the question back anymore. It had been burning in the back of his mind the entire time he was talking to her.

"What were you doing on the roof of that building during the day of the Sahara Square attack?" He demanded.

"What do you mean?" She asked lightheartedly.

"I saw you setting up a sniper stand!"

Her ears shot up in alarm, and her paws flew to her mouth. Her big violet eyes started tearing up, and before he knew it, she was full out crying.

"You mean you think I shot that tiger in Sahara Square?" She asked just a little louder than it needed to be. Heads began turning. "You're so mean and horrible! I would never do that!" She cried.

To him, it seemed like her IQ dropped thirty degrees.

To everyone around them, it seemed like a fox just threatened an innocent rabbit.

"Hey! Whad'ya think you're doin'?" A hippo bellowed.

"Yeah! Did you hurt her?" A zebra joined in.

Before long, they were surrounded by an angry mob. Nick tried to assure them that he didn't do anything, but Judy cried harder. The zebra had her shielded from him, like he was a villain.

"Really. I – I'm an officer. I'm sure you just misunderstood something," He tried, starting to panic. The only other time this happened –

Judy stood up, wiped away tears convincingly, and ran off. She left her bag though, but when Nick went to pick it up, he was pushed back.

"What? A thief now too? You're a disgrace, parading around like you're a real cop," An antelope sneered.

Fearing for his life now, Nick backed out of the crowd with his paws raised in the air. As soon as the sidewalk was empty enough to run without crushing any innocent rodents, he ran off at a full tilt.

He backed cautiously into an alley and pressed his back against the cold, hard brick. He was panting heavily, and he didn't want to look back.

Judy flipped herself around the corner of the wall and skipped up to him.

"So. Last place where Emmet was?" Her eyes were bright and she was smiling, as if nothing had ever happened.

"Okay. What are you helping me?" He exploded. "If you hate me enough to sic an angry mob on me, why would you ever help me?"

She batted her eyelashes coyly. "Aww. Poor little fox, coming out of your little fox empire, so tough you were born in the gutters and crawled out of the canals? Think you're so protected in the happy-go-lucky city of Zootopia, where 'anyone can be anything?'" She laughed. "Only, to find, whoopsie, not everyone gets along, prey are treated weak, predators are treated viciously, and crime runs rampant beyond the tips of your teensy-weensy little claws?"

She leaned closer to him, and in that moment, for her small height and farm garb, she seemed tall, looming over the terrified fox.

"I have nothing against you for the moment, Slick. But here's the thing. I'm a businesswoman. No more, no less. You need help, and I need something from you. So let's just continue on our merry way, and then we part ways as unlikely friends after we both get what we want. Sound good?" Her voice had suddenly turned dark, and it scared him how anyone could have two sides to them and just switch back and forth at will.

Nick glanced around nervously. Judy's paw was outstretched, waiting for a handshake. He hated this. Too many deals, too many promises. Everyone around him was thinking seven steps ahead, and he was just a pawn.

Still, he shook her paw. He wanted the lead. No. He _needed_ the lead.

"You forgot your bag," He added stupidly.

She waved it away. "Lose them everywhere. Not a big deal."

He hated relying on her like this, and he dreaded to think what she wanted from him, but it's the best thing he has at the moment.

He just hoped it wouldn't cost him more than it already has.


	6. Chapter 5

She led him down winding roads and dark alleys, past restaurants, marketplaces, and, he will later swear, past several district lines, but eventually, they ended up at a dump.

Like, a literal dump.

The ripe stench of garbage flooded Nick's nose. He coughed and waved his paw in from of his muzzle, but it didn't clear up. Judy seemed to _like_ seeing him uncomfortable, but it was obvious she hated the smell too.

"Beware of traps," She called, and bounded ahead swiftly.

"Hey!" He yelled, and raced after her, but his foot tripped on something, and he went sprawling onto the moist dirt ground.

"Whaaa –" Before he knew it, he was being dragged into the air, hanging by one foot on a rope. His tie smacked him in the face and his sunglasses fell to the ground with a dull clatter.

Judy giggled softly before stifling it immediately.

A huge bang sounded from an old, beat-down truck, the sound tortured metal makes when it's struck.

Nick began pivoting slowly by the rope. All he could see were leaves. He groaned in annoyance.

"Who's there?" A deep, gruff voice shouted in a tone that suggested Nick's pelt better hide to be safe.

He stole a glance at Judy, but she didn't seem particularly fazed. She had on a small, contented smile, as if everything was under her control, and everything was going just the way it's supposed to.

He tried to twist around to see _anything,_ but his other foot caught on a branch and he went plummeting down to the ground.

He rose up groggily to see –

– The smallest fox with the biggest ears ever.

And the sandy epitome of cuteness carried a baseball bat that could easily take off Nick's head.

Judy gently pushed the tip of the baseball bat down with that same contented grin on her face.

The little fox lowered his sunglasses an inch to get a good look at her.

She waved.

Nick tried to stand up and immediately started toppling over. He steadied himself against the same tree that he was tied up on and fell into a pit.

"Who are you two supposed to be?" The tiny fox questioned. He looked back and forth between Nick and Judy. "Some kind of performing troop?"

"Tsk, Finnick. You should've recognized me," She replied haughtily, tapping the small fox on the nose.

He swung the baseball bat in a wide, speeding arc that left a shrill _zip_ , but Judy simply plucked it out of air effortlessly and rested it over her shoulder.

"You touch me again, I bite your _face_ off," He snarled. Sunlight glinted off his sunglasses and into Judy's eyes.

Nick climbed out of the pit, completely exhausted, and got hit in the head with a pinecone.

"Finnick, fennec fox of Sahara Square," Judy said, as if reciting a list, "but we both know that's not your real name, is it?"

Nick looked up at her with newfound interest. A third side of her. Scratch cute, mean, and smart off that list.

Finnick turned a furious shade of red and snapped his tail. "And who are you?"

"Judy Hopps, of Bunnyburrow. You might have heard of the Hopps farms?" She said, giving him the same line she gave Nick. When she stuck out her paw to shake, though, the tiny fox was gaping at her.

He began backing up slowly, his eyes scouring the ground for something sharp or hard to defend himself with, glancing warily at the baseball bat he'd stupidly let her steal.

"Look," He began, "Hopps, I already told Mr. B, if he wants to tussle, he stops sending others to do his dirty work." His paw hooked onto a sharp piece of scrap metal and he hoisted it in front of himself like a knife, even though he hadn't the faintest idea how to use one.

"Relax, relax. I'm not here for Big. I just need a favor." She propped Nick up just before he was going to walk straight into a jagged spike. "A really simple favour."

Finnick held his paw out and Judy deposited the baseball bat in it.

"And what makes me think I can trust you?"

She chuckled awkwardly. "Well, I know I messed your place up pretty bad a couple times, and you ended up in the hospital more than once –"

"Let's not forget that time you left me for dead at the bank!"

"– that too, but hey, we're friends, right? What happens on the job, stays on the job."

Finnick huffed.

Judy's eyes glazed over with fury. "Okay. I tried this the easy way. This isn't a request. I need information. NOW." Her paw tightened around her belt, and Nick saw a pair of brass knuckles. She crouched lower in an expert stance, ready to fight.

Nick saw the look of sudden fear in the little fox's eyes. _He's that scared of Judy?_

"Okay! Okay!" He cried, holding his paw out in front of him in surrender.

Judy's scowl turned into a smirk. "About a week ago, Emmet Otterton came here for his _meeting_. Where did he go?" She asked.

 _C'mon. You have to buy this. I just need to hold out a little longer, and the heat's off me._

"Otterton," Finnick deadpanned. "He left in a car. 29THD03. It's Mr. B's private –"

Judy slapped her paw over Finnick's mouth. "Yeah, that's great, yay! We have the license plate! Thanks, I'll get out of your fur, now, come on, let's get out of here," She said hurriedly and dragged Nick away. The groggy fox had just enough time to grab his sunglasses off the ground.

 _Who's Mr. B?_ He wondered idly. _Should I be concerned? And why was that fox so scared of Judy?_

The rabbit was deceptively strong, and when he finally regained his bearings, they were outside the dump. He jumped up indignantly and dusted himself off.

"So, you mind telling me what happened?" He asked.

"Otterton left in a car with license number 29THD03. That should be enough, right?" She bounced anxiously on her toes. "Seeing how any idiot can run a license plate…" She trailed off, waiting for him to finish the sentence.

The sudden realization hit him. "I can't! I'm not in the system yet! No resources, and that includes running plates…" He started muttering.

Judy pulled at her ears. "Let me guess. You need my help."

"Please?"

She sighed. "I have a friend at the DMV. Fastest guy I know."

He nodded. "Wait. How is this benefiting you in the _slightest?_ " Nick thought to ask.

She laughed menacingly. "You'll see."


	7. Chapter 6

**For everyone that asked, I imagined this story as more of a "find your confidence/be who you are" story, not really of Judy corrupting Nick. I mean, you can continue letting your minds wander and keep giving me awesome ideas to expand this story with, but this was just to let you know what I imagine the main idea is.**

 **Special shoutout to** Elements King **for your splendid reviews, and to everyone else who PM'd me and reviewed but didn't get a reply yet.  
**

 **Oh, and of course, all you followers and writers out there are awesome too!**

Nick had splinters and branches stuck everywhere on him. He spent the entire way over to the DMV plucking them out of his fur. Judy just sighed and hopped along faster. The Sahara Central artificial sun was starting to dip below the horizon, and on the other side of the city, she could see the cool Tundratown sun rising.

When they got to the DMV, though, Nick was horrified to see that the line even stretched outside.

He seemed frozen in place, his tail bushed up and all his fur standing on end.

She nudged him gently. "C'mon, Slick! Flash is waiting! Time is ticking! Cities are falling as we speak!" She bounded up to the door, but turned back when he didn't follow. "Hello? You alive?"

He breathed rapidly. "Are you sure we shouldn't line up?" He stammered.

She rolled her eyes. "Geez, fox. Break the rules once in a while, will ya?"

She pushed past an elk at the door and strode inside.

"Excuse me, pardon me, sorry," Nick apologized, gingerly making his way inside to follow her.

The place was packed. In fact, it didn't seem like the line was going anywhere. In fact, all the clerks were very slow. Very, very slow.

"They're all _sloths_?" Nick asked incredulously, and immediately slapped a paw over his muzzle. Thankfully, no one heard.

Judy fluffed her tail. "Why? Can't sloths be _fast_?" She teased, and faced a sloth in a green shirt. "Flash, Flash, hundred yard dash! How are ya?"

The sloth blinked slowly. "Ju – dy!... I… Am… Doing… Just… As well… As… I… can…"

Nick's eye twitched while Judy gave him a smug grin. He pressed hard on this phone screen, pretending he was anywhere but here.

"Hi. Sorry to bother you today. Officer Wilde, ZPD. Can you run a plate for me?" He gave a forced smile and hoped the sloth wouldn't talk again.

"Sure… What… Is… The… Plate…"

"Number? 29THD03," Nick interrupted.

"Number… Officer… Wolf?"

"Wilde. 29THD03."

"Sorry… My bad… Officer… Wilde. Now… What… Is… The…"

"PLATE. NUMBER. Yes? 29THD03. PLEASE."

"Plate…"

Nick chewed on his paw. Judy could barely stifle her laughter, but inside, she wished Flash would go faster too. _C'mon, c'mon. Just solve this case already and tell the world! That's all I need. That's all_ we _need._

"Number…"

Nick paused. The sloth was done talking.

"29THD03," He said as calmly as he could.

Flash tapped on his screen. "2… 9… T… H! D… 0… 3…"

The tiny slip rolled itself out excruciatingly slowly. Nick's eye was really twitching now, but there was little he could do to stop it.

Nick really wanted to grab the slip as soon as the paper slipped out, but forced himself to wait politely as Flash tore it off for him and passed it over.

He practically attacked the sloth to get it and read it over in a heartbeat. "Tundratown! Got it! Thank you, Flash!" He called out, already racing out the door, ignoring the annoyed sighs of mammals all around him who were still waiting. "Hope I never get a car," He muttered under his breath, careful no one heard.

The sky was pitch black outside, save for the lights on at the Lotus Casino across the district. He skidded to a stop once he was at a safe distance away from that huge crowd and looked around for Judy. He nearly jumped out of his pelt when she appeared in front of him.

He looked down awkwardly at the little slip of paper in his paws. "So. Thanks for helping me, I really appreciate it." He shuffled his feet.

"Oh? But I thought you were going to do me a little favour," She said innocently.

"Wait, what?"

She snapped something cool and hard over Nick's neck, and a burst of electricity flooded over him. Blinding white pain shot through his body, and suddenly, he was on the ground. Black specks swam at the edge of his vision, and his muscles were trembling.

He couldn't speak. His tongue wouldn't work. His head felt like it was stuffed full of oily cotton.

Judy leaned over him. She felt a twinge of sympathy, but quickly forced it away. "Hmm. I think that was too strong." She adjusted a dial on her remote control. Nick fell again as feedback shrieked into his ears.

He panted heavily. Every breath was painful, like fire searing his lungs.

"So, I need little favour. An errand, you might say, that I don't want to run alone. I'd love it if a big, strong, handsome fox were there to help me," Judy cooed, batting her eyelashes. Nick tried to focus on her, but his eyes wouldn't cooperate, and his gaze dropped down to the ground.

She gave him some time to regain consciousness. Suddenly, he pounced at her, but the collar set out a shrill alarm and he fell to the ground again, the tip of his fur singed.

"Oh, did I forget to tell you? No negative emotions, Slick. Don't want to set off the collar." Even as she said this, what she'd been planning to say since the morning, the script she's mulled over hundreds of times, it felt… wrong. She felt no pleasure from bringing down this predator. _And why don't I?_ _He's one of_ them. _Predators have wronged me and others so many times. He deserves this._

And yet… She didn't feel happy. If anything, she felt sickened. She quashed the feeling, but it still settled like a stubborn weight on her heart.

He's mostly settled down now, so Judy erased the sadness from her face and resumed her smug-peppy look. "All I need is Officer Wilde. Not much more. Just your image. 'kay? Just picking up something that's owed to me. Does that sound fine?"

Nick smiled and nodded, but it was obvious that he was still distressed. His claws were out, and one ear was bent. She turned away so she wouldn't have to look at that collar anymore.

 _Just a little longer, Judy,_ she promised herself. _One more step, and you'll get everything you've ever wanted._

 _So close now. So close._


	8. Chapter 7

**Conceal, don't feel. Frankly, that's what I think when I write my version of Judy.**

The night was a relief. The cool breeze ruffled Judy's fur, and the darkness closed around her like a soft blanket. It seemed to Judy that the day was completely chaotic: all she did was travel here, go there, do this, say that. It's like there wasn't a spare moment. Of course, it wasn't an ordinary day, either.

In the past, she'd never understood how people can just forgive and forget. Forgive others for what they did. Forget the ways they're wronged them. She kept all that in her heart, and was determined to learn from them and not make the same mistake again.

Now, looking at the fox shivering from the cold, eyes squinting to see in the dim light, she wondered if everything she knew was wrong.

She almost ventured out and spoke, but kept the words to herself. Good thing, too. She saw the lights of Tundratown sparkling in the distance. For them, the morning, noon and afternoon had already passed in the span of a several hours, and night would stay for the rest of the day. She thought it was wonderful to be able to be cloaked in darkness.

It was easy from there. She and Nick made their way to her _former_ employer's mansion. It was just on the edge of Tundratown, not even a conspicuous neighbourhood. No one even suspected they were living next to the biggest crime boss in Zootopia.

There was a doorbell, but it's not like she used it.

She untied the rope from her utility belt and threw one end over to Nick. "Hold on," She ordered, and jumped.

She shimmied up a water pipe, wound the rope over the rain gutter, pulled Nick up after her, smashed through a skylight, and landed softly in the middle of Mr. Big's private study. Nick tumbled down ungracefully and landed on his snout.

Judy pulled him up, just as two polar bears walked in. They caught sight of her and one immediately dashed for her.

She pushed Nick roughly out of the way and sprang into action. She dodged nimbly past the polar bear's heavy fists, jumped off the wall, leapt off his arm and made him punch himself.

The heavy bear fell heavily and didn't get up.

The other polar bear had simply stood there, and now he walked over to the table and put down a tiny chair.

It spun around to reveal a tiny Arctic Shrew.

"Well. If it isn't Judy Hopps," He said.

Judy smirked and took an exaggerated bow. "Glad you still remember me, Big. And what else do you remember? Hmm? What about the _payment_ you owe me?"

Mr. Big looked down at the unconscious polar bear, then back at Judy. "I owe you nothing. You left my informant for dead, and shot and kidnapped one of my personal guard. You intrude on my peace, in my home, and demand payment?"

The large polar bear beside him stood like a stone sentential. Nick backed up against the wall, taking deep breaths.

Judy tilted an ear towards Nick. "Now, you have to understand who this is." She pulled him roughly towards her and straightened his badge. "This is ZPD officer Nick Wilde, first fox on the force. Now, if he were to go missing, or report anything to our fair police department, well, let's just say they won't be as _fair_."

Nick pulled nervously at his collar while the shrew looked him up and down.

Then, completely impassive, he said, "Ice them."

Judy immediately erupted in movement. She vaulted across the room, but the polar bear was ready held her tight by the scruff. She kicked her legs uselessly in mid-air.

Nick was petrified.

A third polar bear walked into the room, much smaller than the first two. This one stared at Nick in shock, and before he knew it, he was being gripped in a vice-like hug.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mr. Big putting up a tiny hand.

Judy dropped to the ground glared indignantly at the polar bear.

The polar bear released his grip and cleared his throat. "Thank you, officer. Thank you."

Nick looked confused.

The polar bear coughed. "During the Sahara Square stampede, you carried my son to safety." He glanced over at Mr. Big, as if apologizing for breaking conduct, and turned back to Nick. "I owe you his life, and my own."

"You have done a great service to my family," Mr. Big suddenly said. Everyone turned to look at him. "I shall take your kindness, and pay it forward."

Judy's jaw dropped.

Nick felt a surge of confidence. He tipped his hat. "With all due respect, sir," He looked mischievously at Judy, "my partner and I just wish to know the location for one of your limos. She feels that her payment has been justified by her _behavior_."

Judy's ear twitched, but she didn't dare object.

Mr. Big stroked his beard. "My limo?"

"Yes. License plate 29THD03."

"Ah. I take it you're looking for Otterton?"

Nick nodded enthusiastically, all fear forgotten.

"He was my florist. He had something important to tell me that day, so I sent a driver for him. And then…"

"He was attacked?" Nick ventured.

" _He_ attacked. He went - savage. My driver was gravely injured."

"Do you know what happened?"

Mr. Big shook his head. "You'd have to ask my driver, Manchas. He lives in the Rainforest District, at Vine and Tujunga."

 _What?_ Judy realized. _He lived? He saw?_

Just then, a small shrew wearing a wedding dress pranced into the room. "Daddy! It's time for our dance!" She sang.

Nick politely excused himself and Judy and walked out boldly through the front door. Judy was lost in her thoughts.

 _Manchas lived? What if he saw me? Am I about to be exposed?_

"I guess now's when we 'part ways as unlikely friends?'" Nick asked, snapping her back to reality.

"You need more help," She said cockily. "There's no way you can manage that black panther alone."

"Panther? Mr. Big didn't mention a panther."

Judy's heart began pounding. "Of course he did. Were you not paying attention?" She replied confidently, betraying nothing.

He grinned sheepishly. "Guess I wasn't. I probably need some help."

 _Good. I just have to make sure that panther won't ruin everything. That's the last time I mess with his ride._

But still. There was something else too. Something deeper. She didn't know it, but that wasn't her only reason she wanted to help Nick.

Maybe she was just caught up in the thrill of the chase, but maybe, just maybe, despite all good sense and better intentions, she'd let herself feel something for the predator?


	9. Chapter 8

The rainforest district was a vast expanse of foliage and green. Everywhere she looked, there was more green, more leaves, more fog. Grey dappled sunlight filtered through the leaves, leaving a patchwork on the leaf-covered ground.

Judy's fur was slick from the humidity, while Nick's tail was puffed up to the size of the Rodent State Building.

"Vine and Tujunga," He read off the signposts. "We're here."

"First time someone pronounced that right," She muttered under her breath.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Judy nearly glided past the many vines and leaves, hopping nimbly from one to the next. Nick just sort of stumbled from leaf to leaf, and occasionally gets smacked by one.

Eventually, they come to a dark treehouse, wrought with lanterns and vines.

Tentatively, Nick rapped on the door.

He stepped back.

A chain rattled somewhere inside, and the door opened a crack. The inside was dark.

"Hello? Mr. Manchas?" Nick tried.

Judy crept forward slowly, a flashlight in her hand. Slowly, the door creaked open, and she slipped inside.

One second. Two seconds.

Nick heard her scream and burst through the door. A black panther was crouched low on the ground on all fours, his green eyes gleaming. A jagged scar went across one of them.

Judy stood near him, her eyes wide, but strangely, she didn't look afraid. She looked shocked, but not afraid.

She saw him watching and it passed. She was just a scared little bunny now.

The panther pounced savagely, and Judy grabbed Nick and ran.

"Before he – he did that," She panted, as they both scrambled for their lives, the panther hot in pursuit, "He told me that Otterton did that to his eye."

"A little otter – he – he did that?" He gasped.

The panther growled, a low, primitive growl. Despite the heat, Nick shivered.

"He went savage!" Judy choked out, desperately trying to keep her footing.

The path was turning slick now, and he was having trouble running. Just a moment after he had that thought, Judy screamed and slipped, catching her foot on a vine. She tugged frantically on it, glancing at the panther. Nick stopped and tried to pull her free, but he was too late.

Manchas leapt for them, claws outstretched. Judy screamed again and covered her eyes, but something clicked into place for Nick. All fear forgotten, his claws came out, and he scratched Manchas on the face. The panther stopped for a moment, surprised its prey fought back, and came back harder.

This time Nick barred his teeth, determined to protect Judy. Without waiting for another attack, the fox wrestled Manchas away, ramming his shoulder against the panther's. He roared and clawed out wildly, and caught Nick on the shoulder. His uniform tore a slit, but he hardly noticed.

He was focused on fending off this stronger, bigger foe. _Oh, why is_ today _the day I'm don't bring my handcuffs?_

He was tiring though, and Manchas managed to nick him again in the ear. A gentle buzz of electricity came from the collar, and suddenly Nick remembered.

He looked back at Judy, who was paralyzed, staring at the vicious fight. The remote hung loosely by her belt, her paw well within reach.

"Use the collar!" He shouted at her as he fended off another attack.

She managed a few blinks and a gasp of air.

"USE. THE. COLLAR!" He shouted again. His cut arm was nearly useless at this point.

Shakily, Judy snatched the remote from the belt, but she was hesitant, as if she didn't want to hurt him.

He growled. "Do you trust me? Use the collar!" The panther was circling now, ready for another attack.

Judy's paw hovered over the button.

"TRUST ME!" He yelled, just at Manchas pounced.

Judy pressed the button with all her might and turned away. Nick tackled Manchas just as electricity flooded him. He made it flow into Manchas, and he saw the tips of the panther's fur becoming singed.

Flecks of static swam at the rest of his vision, and he was sure his claws were digging into the ground, but he managed to choke out, "Don't stop!"

Judy was breathing rapidly, taking shallow breaths. Her paw didn't dare leave the button until she couldn't hear anything anymore. Finally, she turned.

Nick's uniform was tinged red, and the cut on his ear was going to leave a scar, but Manchas looked worse. They were both unconscious, but Manchas wasn't used to Judy's collar yet, so he got the harder hit.

Judy ran over, gently pried Nick away from Manchas, and laid him on the ground gently.

She saw the spot of blue on Manchas's neck and cursed herself. Of course _she_ knew. She knows _everything._

 _Why would I_ ever _assume that I can get away with helping a ZPD officer? I'm putting our whole plan at risk! And for what? A thrill? An adventure?_

She scanned the trees for the gunman, but she didn't need to bother. She knew Bellwether sent Doug. He's their – is _Bellwether's_ go-to fixer. Anything that needs wrapping up, he does it. That includes making any animal go savage, and indirectly causing any murder.

Judy's confident about his abilities. After all, she trained him.

Still, that little spot of blue confirmed everything she feared. Bellwether doesn't need her anymore. She's seen it happen, multiple times, with anyone who's dared to go against the plan, the plan they've been working on for so long, but she never imagined it would happen to her.

Judy thought she was indispensable.

Apparently not anymore.

This also means she has no backup, no support, no resources, and no one left to care about whether she lives or dies.

Thanks to Bellwether, she's all alone now.

No, that's not true.

She has a hit out for her.

Someone _does_ care whether she lives or dies.

It's just that everyone she's ever known will be out to make sure she dies.


	10. Chapter 9

**For the reviewer that said my story "is not reverse rolls", and I quote, "This is Nick in Judy's place and Judy working for Bellweather." Umm. So... What is a reverse roll story then? Because I literally cannot think of another way to write a "reverse rolls" AU.**

When Nick woke up, the first thing he saw was Judy leaning over him. She was wrapping something on his shoulder. It ached dully, and he wondered where he was. Then he remembered everything. The case, the fight, all of it.

He sat up suddenly and winced in pain. Judy sprang up, her ears shooting straight into the air, and his wound split. She pushed him back down not too kindly and finished tying the bandage around his shoulder. He touched his ear. It felt completely normal.

"How –" He managed, before she cut him off.

"I lived on a farm with 275 siblings. I had to patch up a lot of injuries."

There was silence, and then Judy inadvertently burst out crying.

"Hush," He said. Such an odd thing for a fox to say to a bunny. "This can't possibly be the first time you had to do this."

She wiped the tears from her cheek. "Thank you for saving me," She replied stubbornly.

He gave her a salute unknowingly with his bad arm, and winced in pain. Suddenly, he remembered.

"Hey, where's Mr. Manchas?"

Judy got up and walked over to a clump of bushes. "Relax. I tied him to a tree." She pulled back the leaves. "Do you really think I would be that –" She turned to the small clearing. A broken rope lay on the ground, one end tied expertly to a tree. No panther in sight.

"Harebrained?" He finished for her, peering around her. Behind her, he tugged faintly at the collar, hoping it was deactivated, but it gave a gentle buzz. He sighed. "No such luck," He murmured.

"What?" Judy asked, but she wasn't really paying attention. Her ears were straight up, rigid, turning in every direction.

"Are you okay?" He ventured. He tapped her gently on the shoulder and she judo-flipped him and stepped on his chest.

"Sorry. Reflex," She said with a nervous chuckle, pulling at her ears. She let him up, but didn't drop the vigilance.

Nick pulled out his Carrot phone, but it didn't have signal. He looked around. "You know, maybe we should go, um, you know, _report_ this."

She nodded absently, her mind still in whatever world she was trapped in.

Half pulling Judy along, Nick made his way towards the tram station.

Suddenly, Judy snatched a stick from the ground and hurled it into the trees above them with a yell. A spider with a stick protruding from its back fell to the ground.

He supposed he looked impressed on the outside, but inside, he was screaming I'M GOING TO DIE SHE CAN DO THAT?!

She nudged the spider with her foot and laughed sheepishly. "Sorry. Thought – thought it was something else."

Nick turned his attention to a coming tram. He pulled Judy onto it just as it departed and swung in a wide arc over a gorge. Instinctively, Nick's tail bushed up, his heart racing rapidly, and Judy nearly got a mouthful of fur.

She batted it away, but Nick couldn't help but notice that she suddenly looked calmer, as if being away from the jungle had that much of an impact.

"So… How did you learn to fight?" He asked awkwardly, trying to fill the empty space.

"From a friend," She said nonchalantly.

He waited, but that was it.

"… Did you ever lose a fight before?"

"Once."

"When?" He pressed.

She smiled coldly. "I didn't die in it, and that's all that matters."

He didn't dare ask more, but after another couple seconds, curiosity got the better of him.

"So are you fearless?'"

"Hon, no one's fearless."

"Yeah, but come on! I've never actually seen you afraid of anything!"

She laughed genuinely this time. "You literally get scared at _everything!_ I'm not sure you want to compare yourself to me."

"But come on! I'm genuinely curious." And the thing was, he did look curious. His eyes were bright.

She huffed, and debated making up a tale, but somehow, the words that spilled out weren't fiction.

"Fine. I was, 8, maybe 9, and my school had a play."

 _"Fear. Treachery. Bloodlust." A small rabbit crept forward slowly, sniffing the air gingerly._

 _Thousands of years ago, there were the forces that ruled our world._

 _A cheetah emerged, its amber eyes glinting evilly in the low light. "A world where prey were scared of predators, and predators had an uncontrollable, biological urge to maim, and maul, and –"_

 _The cheetah pounced, and the rabbit gave a huge scream._

 _In the new, brighter light, you see that they're only actors, in costumes, only children putting on a play._

 _The rabbit fell to the ground and drew out a huge handful of ribbon. "Blood, blood, BLOOD! And… DEATH!" When the ribbon was gone, she squirted a whole can of ketchup clean and fell down, dead as a doorknob._

 _She suddenly stood up, and faced the audience with the tiger._

 _Back then, the world was divided in two. Vicious predators, and meek prey. But over time, we evolved and looked beyond our primitive savage ways. Now, predator and prey live in harmony and every young mammal has multitudinous opportunities."_

Nick looked at her strangely. "How do you remember the exact wording you used, what? 14 years ago?"

She scoffed and shrugged. "I – I don't know. It was an important moment for me."

 _Cardboard boxes descended from the ceiling and fell over the rabbit and tiger._

 _They emerged, wearing white robes._

 _A small sheep glided clumsily onto the stage, dressed like an angel. "Yeah! I don't have to cower in a herd anymore," She baa-ed. "Instead," She put on an astronaut helmet, "I can be an astronaut!"_

 _The cheetah whipped away his robe to reveal a suit and held up a pen. "I don't have to be a lonely hunter anymore. Today I can hunt for tax exemptions. I'm going to be an actuary!"_

 _The young rabbit stepped forward. "And I can make the world a better place. I am going to be…" She whipped off her robe to reveal a police uniform, and put on an officer's cap, "a police officer!"_

Nick whistled. "And there's the big reveal. Been jealous of me this entire time, Carrots?"

"Now _who_ took a can of confidence?" She punched him a few times on the arm. "Pretty slick, Nick. And don't call me Carrots. Anyways, there was this fox, named Gideon Gray. He, well, he was the biggest bully in the school."

 _"Bunny cop! That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" He sneered._

 _Judy leaned over the stage and got in Gideon's face. "It may seem impossible to small minds - I'm looking at you, Gideon Grey - but, just two-hundred and eleven miles away stands the great city of Zootopia, where our ancestors first joined together in peace and declared that anyone can be anything!"_

 _A huge banner descended from the ceiling, while the backdrop changed to a picture of Zootopia._

 _"Thank you and goodnight!" She shouted."_

"After the play, I went to the fair in costume. I was hopping along while my parents were jabbering about carrot farming or something, when I saw Gideon and Travis, Travis is a weasel, I saw him and Gideon go behind a fair booth. So naturally I followed."

"" _Give me your tickets right now, or I'm gonna kick your meek little sheep butt!" Gideon growled._

 _The little sheep whimpered. "Ow! Cut it out, Gideon!"_

 _He sneered. "Bahh, bahh! What are you gonna do, cry?"_

 _"HEY!" They both turned to see Judy standing there in all her costumed glory. "You heard her, cut it out."_

 _Gideon guffawed. "Nice costume, loser! What crazy world are you livin' in where you think a bunny can be a cop?"_

 _Judy pretended not to hear him. "Kindly return my friend's tickets." She held out a paw. It looked so small next to Gideon._

 _"Come and get 'em! But watch out, 'cause I'm a fox, and like you said in your dumb little stage play, us predators used to eat prey! And our killer instinct's still in our dun-nuh."_

 _Travis nudged him. "Uh – I'm pretty sure it's pronounced D-N-A."_

 _"Don't tell me what I know, Travis!" He snapped._

 _Judy balled up her paws. "You don't scare me, Gideon."_

 _With a growl, Gideon pushed Judy to the ground. She whimpered, and her eyes went wide. "Scared now?"_

 _"Look at her nose twitch, she is scared!" Travis exclaimed._

 _"Cry little baby bunny, cry!"_

 _With a furious yell, Judy kicked Gideon in the face. He grabbed her foot and slammed her down again. "You just don't know when to quit, do you?"_

 _He shoved Judy's face into the dirt. "I want you to remember this moment the next time you think you will ever be anything more than just a stupid carrot-farming dumb bunny!" He savagely clawed at Judy's face, and she screamed, for real this time, and not for a play. When his claws left, three deep lines were carved into Judy's cheek._

 _He and Travis walked triumphantly away._

 _The sheep and her friends ran over. "That was baa-ad."_

 _"Are you okay, Judy?"_

 _She didn't more for a moment, but a paw extended. She held a few strips of tickets._

 _"Wow! You got our tickets! You're awesome, Judy."_

 _She looked up with a faint smile._

 _"Yeah! That Gideon Grey doesn't know what he's talkin' about!"_

 _She nodded grimly, but didn't stick around. She ran away, a paw at her cheek. Soon, she saw her parents, and buried her face in Stu's fur._

 _"Judy, honey, what happened?" Bonnie cried, running a paw over Judy's cheek. She sniffed, the tears gone from her eyes as suddenly as they'd come._

 _"A fox." She was surprised at the calmness of her voice, as if Gideon's claws had taken away her emotion._

 _They both gasped._

 _Stu immediately pulled her away. "We need to go to the Dr. Marion's. What if that fox gave you rabies? Or – or maybe tetanus! Or, oh, Bonnie, what's that other one?"_

 _The two adult rabbits chattered back and forth. Judy touched her cheek. She didn't feel sad, or angry, exactly, but numb. Numb._

 _She took off her police hat. Bonnie looked at her with concern, but she played it off as just dusting it. As soon as her mother stopped looking, though, she threw it onto the ground and stepped on it."_

Judy fell silent. Nick was looking at her, wide-eyed. "I –" He could see the uneven patches of fur, the three uniform ropes of scar tissue across her cheek. They were dark and sunken in the dim light, but there.

"I don't want your sympathy," She said. She made her eyes scan the landscape, landing everywhere but on Nick. She saw the mountains in the distance, where a city of birds was rumoured to be, a darkened place off the outskirts of Zootopia that she was well familiar with, _Savage City,_ and of course, Zootopia, with its bright lights and bustling traffic.

 _How is traffic even controlled around here? It seems so chaotic. The city must be monitoring –_

"The traffic cams."

She might have stopped Nick mid-sentence, but she didn't care. She shook him by the shoulders. "Traffic cams," She repeated breathlessly.

Slowly, the recognition dawned in his eyes. "They must've seen where Manchas went! Yes! Argh! But I'm not in the system yet! I'm restricted!"

Judy's face fell, but it was back to that perky-to-happy smile in no time. "But, I might have a friend at city hall who isn't."

 _Some friend._


	11. Chapter 10

**In response to the comments asking about why this isn't an entirely role reversal story, I just never saw Judy as a trickster. She doesn't have the patience for long cons. In my mind, she's more of a "pull his shirt over his head and punch till you see blood" type of person.**

They arrived at city hall in record time. Judy had done something to Nick's work mobile, and now, while it screeched whenever it moved, it moved _fast._

He's made the mistake of letting her drive, and nearly fell off twice.

"Are all rabbits bad drivers?" He asked her after they dismounted.

She smiled sweetly and tripped him.

They strode boldly through the front doors and nearly ran into a sheep chasing after Mayor Lionheart.

" _Bellwether_ ," They both growled, and looked at each other strangely.

"Nothing," They said in unison.

"Stop that!" Together.

Judy punched Nick in the arm and walked down a hallway. They were walking towards the boiler room, but Nick could just barely make out a sign on the door that said, "Assistant Mayor's Officer."

"She doesn't get much respect around here, does she?" He asked, just as Judy slapped a paw over his mouth and pulled him into an open room. Bellwether scurried past them, dropped a stack of binders into the office, and raced out again.

"Go," Judy whispered. Nick barely registered it before she took off and ran up to the door.

He followed, his heart pounding. He was staring at the lock on the door and the security camera on the ceiling.

When the security camera light turned red, Judy took two steps up the wall, rebounded, punched something into the camera, and dropped back down lightly on her feet. The camera clicked and shut down.

She stopped in front of the door and dug around in her jacket pockets. Nick skidded to a stop beside her and watched her work. He couldn't hear anything; fear muted his world.

He expected her to pull out lockpicks, but instead she pulled out a key ring. She stuck one with a sparkly purple head into the lock, and it opened easily.

"How do you have –"

"No time to explain," She said, and pushed him into the room. It was a boiler room, but with file cabinets and a computer set up. "Just stay and keep a lookout." She stopped for a moment and looked at him curiously before turning to the computer.

"What?"

Even from the back, he could see her mouth quirk up in a smile. "This reminds me of a job I did with Finnick. Has anyone told you that you guys could pass for brothers?"

He chuckled. "More like father and son."

The hilarity soon faded, though, and he went back to keeping watch.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her climbing to the top of a filing cabinet.

She pulled a sticky note from the top, came back down, and typed something into the computer. It flashed a "PASSWORD ACCEPTED" screen and logged on to the system with Bellwether's ID.

"Do I want to know?" He asked.

"She always keeps her password there," Judy replied nonchalantly. Casually, she pulled another sticky note from the computer and ripped it to shreds. Nick saw that a phone number and a name were written on it.

After a while of typing and stressful guarding, she called him over.

"Here. Traffic cam feed." She scrolled through it until she came to Vine and Tujunga. They were both shocked to see a pack of wolves dragging away an unconscious Manchas.

 _Wolves? Bellwether would never work with wolves. Could there possibly be another mammal in play?_

 _Wolves? Seriously? That can't do anything without howling – And there it is._

Judy followed them to a car, but when they passed a tunnel, they disappeared. A familiar street sign caught Nick's eye.

 _Savage City._

He closed his eyes. "If I were a criminal, I would know that there's a maintenance tunnel near here that opens elsewhere. It's impossible to know the route unless you – you grew up there, so it's virtually undetectable."

He nudged Judy aside and scrolled through the footage until he found the road where the tunnel opens out just in time to see the wolves' car pass.

Judy whistled softly. "Do _I_ want to know?"

"The tunnel's always been there," He said, trying to mimic her casual tone and failing.

Suddenly, the intercom buzzed. "SMELLWETHER!" Mayor Lionheart's voice boomed.

The duo froze. Hoofbeats sounded outside.

Judy's eyes strayed towards the air vent.

Without missing a beat, she sprang onto the file cabinet and wrenched the vent gate open. The rusty metal twisted without problem.

"SMELLWETHER!" The intercom sounded. They could hear rattling keys outside and Bellwether muttering softly to herself.

Judy held out a paw to Nick. He was staring up at her, petrified.

"Trust _me_ this time," She whispered, and this time he took her paw.

With incredible strength, she pulled him up and pushed him into the air vent.

Just as the tip of his tail disappeared, Bellwether entered the room.

Judy held her breath.

The traffic cam footage was still on the screen. The twisted vent gate lay on the floor. She pressed herself closer to the top of the cabinet, hoping that Bellwether wouldn't notice.

Bellwether looked at the computer screen and paused. "Judy."

Judy didn't dare make a sound.

She bent down and picked up the vent grate, but still, the sheep didn't look up. "I gave you my trust, you know? I took you in, trained you, gave you a purpose, and this is how you repay me?"

The wall felt cold, and Judy wished that she'd chosen to wear a less bulky jacket.

"By working with the ZPD to crack _my_ plan? With that _fox,_ no less? Have you forgotten everything I taught you?"

The intercom buzzed again, but Bellwether threw it to the ground and stomped it to pieces.

"Judy, I know you're here," She cooed one last time, and looked straight at Judy.

The bunny hopped down from the cabinet. "So what? It's not you that almost got busted for shooting that tiger. He was there. _He saw me._ I had to make him think that he didn't see what he saw. Besides, I planted a mic on him. He thinks it's just one of those ancient shock collars." Her voice sounded reedy and unfamiliar in her ears, so desperate. It sounded like she was justifying herself.

Bellwether looked her at her eye to eye. "If you want to work on this your way, fine. Just don't jeopardize my cause."

She took one last stomp at the broken plastic on the ground and turned away.

"Wait!" Judy called.

Bellwether turned back.

"There's going to be a press conference soon, when we solve this. We'll find the missing animals, find some way to pin it on Lionheart, and then we can announce it to the world. We won't just be creating fear, Bellwether, we'll be separating predator and prey forever! Give me a chance. You'll see. It'll work out in the end." There was that desperation creeping into her voice again. Judy hated it.

Bellwether seemed to be considering it. "Fine." She started walking away. "Oh, and apologize to your fox friend. That air vent has a straight drop to the dumpster."

 **There. That should clear up most of the questions. If not, well, it's supposed to stay secret for now.**


	12. Chapter 11

**Okay, okay, I admit it. I didn't really think it was a role-reversal story either. It was more of a, if Nick was "good" and Judy was "bad," what would happen? thing.**

 **And also, I might be going on hiatus for a while to work on a different story. Might. ~Sigh. I just had to get myself obsessed with a new fandom.**

When Nick fell in the dumpster, he felt anything but embarrassment. That street sign…

He hadn't gone home in a long time. Not since he enrolled in that academy. It's not that there was a lot of home to go _to,_ anyways. Mostly scrap. Thugs. Darkness. His entire childhood felt like someone was holding a thick piece of cloth to his eyes, blocking out the light. He shivered. He didn't want to go back, but he knew that that tunnel led there. The only road past that was through his old neighbourhood, past his old place.

Still lost in his thoughts, he climbed out of the dumpster. He leaned against it absently, tapping on the back of his paw.

Judy rounded the corner, smiling as brightly as ever. Nick wasn't paying attention, though, and when she tapped him on the shoulder, it was like she flipped the wrong switch. Slick as oil, he swiped a glass shard from the ground, tripped her, and held the shard steadily near her throat.

He did it almost without thinking. The fog in his mind cleared, and he saw it was her. He breathed out slowly and threw the glass away.

Nick cleared his throat and helped her up. "Sorry. I was thinking." His voice had gone hard, and he didn't sound particularly sorry.

Judy's heart began pounding. _How much did he hear? Idiot! I forgot he was listening! What if he heard anything?_ Still, the smile remained on her face. "It's okay. I escaped, barely. Bellwether came in, grabbed a stack of papers, and left. She didn't see me at all. I didn't know you could fight like that."

He shrugged and gave a strained laugh. "You got away! That's great. I guess now we follow the wolves?" His eyes sort of shifted, like he wasn't really paying attention, and Judy calmed down, just a bit. _He didn't hear anything!_ That doesn't explain his sudden outburst, though, and it probably wasn't a coincidence that the shard was that close to her main artery.

"I never knew you could fight like that," she prompted again.

Nick shrugged again. "How else would I have passed the police academy?"

He turned and started walking, and Judy chased after him. It didn't sit right with her. The position of a rabbit's main artery wasn't something you just learn in a _police academy._ She tried to change the subject. She didn't like the way his voice had lowered, lost its gentleness. "You know the way past that tunnel?"

"Mmm-hmm. Savage City, route 616."

She stopped. Nick didn't even look back. _Savage City._

 _How can he be so calm talking about_ Savage City?

Her mind flashed back to memories, mostly of Bellwether, telling her never to go near that city.

 _"The heart of crime in Zootopia, Judy, the gang central. No one goes there if they can, or it's a quick trip to the hospital, if not the morgue."_

 _"What?" She joked. "For everyone but me?"_

Bellwether had looked her hard in the eyes. _"Especially you. The mammals there prey on power, and I don't trust you to not show off. Judy, promise me you won't go anywhere near. It's for your own safety."_

She'd promised, but in her mind, she knew it was a thief's promise, the kind you make to a merchant before you steal his bread.

"Isn't there another way? Maybe we can go around the city?" She suggested, but he didn't even look at her. She could see his paw balled into a fist, and wondered just what history _he_ had with the city.

"It's the shortest path. Let's just get this over with."

* * *

They'd barely entered city limits before they saw the first territory marker. Nick looked at the large graffiti-covered wall quizzically. "I don't remember this one."

Judy sighed. "I know this one. Black Tips. Bunch of panther cubs moved in, staked a claim."

He raised an eyebrow at her, but didn't say anything.

He turned around when a flash of black leapt out from the shadows. He was tackled to the ground savagely, and Judy's arm was wrenched upwards. She was pushed onto the ground. Her knee hit with a dull crack.

 _Panthers,_ she thought grimly. She watched the other one wrestle Nick to the wall.

She tried to kick at her assailant, but somehow, the panther grabbed onto her ankle and tied her limbs together in less time than it took for her to blink.

Nick was pressed up against the wall, paws high in the air. The panther chuckled cruelly. "Well, well, well. What do we have here? A spy? A snitch?" He pressed a knife blade against Nick's chin.

Judy froze. She didn't put killing past anyone here.

Instead of panicking, Nick calmly pushed the knife away. Then he struck.

He pushed off the wall, raked his claws across the panther's eyes, wrenched the knife away and kicked him into the wall. He ran over to Judy, tripped her guard, slapped a zip-tie on his wrists and cut her free.

"RUN!" He yelled, and took off, faster than Judy had ever seen anyone run.

Completely disoriented, Judy followed Nick blindly, parkouring when she couldn't catch up with speed. By the time he stopped, her heart was pounding furiously, and her breath was coming out in short gasps.

Nick pried a wooden panel off a door and threw it aside. He pulled Judy inside, and with practiced ease, he slid and hammered a new board into place over the door.

It took Judy's eyes a while to adjust to their new surroundings. They were in some sort of house, with low hanging pipes and a thick layer of dust coating everything. A lone lightbulb hung from the ceiling, long broken.

Nick was peering around the outside through a hole in the wall. Judy heard rather than saw him breathe a sigh of relief. "I think we lost them."

Judy stood up and hit her head on a pipe. She stifled a cry and instead asked, "What is this place?"

Nick's mouth pressed into a tight line. He flipped a picture frame beside him upside down, and gripped a near-invisible hanging pipe.

Judy's ears flopped to avoid dragging dust around. Her stubborn eyes still wouldn't adjust. She'd all but given up on Nick's answer when he spoke.

"My entire childhood."


	13. Chapter 12

Judy's ears sprang up. She plopped down next to Nick excitedly. "Spill."

He glanced away from a small peephole in the wall at her for a moment, and then went back to monitoring. Shouts and thuds were coming from outside, and Judy hoped they weren't related to the pair of animals hiding inside. "I think I see lions." He narrowed his eyes. "Dime Lions."

Judy sighed dramatically. "This is turning into a full-out war zone."

Nick glared at her. "Will you take this seriously?" He gestured to his clothes. "I'm still in uniform. And you're wearing…" His voice trailed off. Judy smoothed down her heavy dark jacket and tights indignantly.

"Don't change the subject. I told you my past," _some of it,_ "so now you tell me yours."

He took a last look at the peephole and sighed. He eased himself into a beanbag chair and lit a candle. Its eerie flame flickered in the cool draft. "What's there to tell?" He sighed in defeat. "My dad was arrested when I was ten. My mom died when I was twelve. I worked until I moved to Zootopia and entered the police academy. The end."

The room lapsed into silence. "Wow," Judy said quietly. She flipped over the photo Nick had overturned. It showed a smiling fox couple, holding a baby fox.

He reached over and flipped it facedown again.

The shouts were dying down, and Nick got up again to check. His tail was coiled tightly in a knot. The gang fights outside were beginning to die down. Even when he was sure they were relatively safe, he didn't turn around. He heard a bang and a string of muffled curses behind him, and correctly guessed that Judy had run into another pipe.

 _10 hours. I have just under 10 hours left. And I'm wasting it hiding underground. Still, I can't leave. Those cats will tear us apart._

He glanced at Judy.

 _Or at least her._

Nick suddenly remembered that he was still wearing his uniform. He grabbed a threadbare backpack from the ground and stuffed his jacket, hat, and sunglasses inside. He tossed it under a table and went back to being bored.

Absentmindedly, he sharpened his claws against the boarded-up windowsill. He hated fighting when he was little. He still does.

He must've said it aloud, because Judy replied, "But you're a police officer. Don't you _have_ to know how to fight?"

"Knowing something and liking it are two very different things." His paw trembled slightly, and he retracted his claws. He hated fighting. It made him feel too much like a _predator._ He never fought if he could help it.

Judy was trying to clean a smudged, cracked mirror. Nick looked away. It brought back too many memories.

"We're leaving," He blurted out. He couldn't stand being in this place anymore. Too many ghosts haunt him here.

"Are you sure it's safe?" Judy asked, pushing around him to peek through the hole. The streets were empty.

He nodded. He glanced around warily and pulled the board off the door. Judy hopped outside and he tacked it back into place outside. It looked like no one's been here in a long time.

Judy was striding ahead triumphantly, but Nick stopped her. "Keep your ears slack, head down, shoulders bowed," He recited. "Try to appear small."

She looked like she was going to challenge him, but seemed to remember something and kept her mouth shut. Her shoulders promptly slumped and she cast her eyes downward.

A young scruffy-looking fox cub ran past them, clutching something in his tiny little paw. Nick immediately dropped down on one knee and passed him ten dollars. He looked up at the older fox with admiration in his eyes, and Nick winked at him. The fox grinned widely and raced off again.

Nick dusted his pants off and kept walking without missing a beat.

Judy's heart skipped a beat, but she pretended she didn't see.

Somehow, he noticed, probably because she'd stiffened, and shrugged shyly. "He reminded me of…" His voice trailed off.

Judy raised her head to get her bearings and froze. "Nick, look."

"Hmm?" He looked up. The road started winding up a steep cliff. A dark car, the same one the timber wolves were driving, was parked near the top of the cliff beside a dark, ominous building.

Judy groaned. "This is cliché. Can't animals choose somewhere common to work? Why always dark buildings in the middle of nowhere?"

She looked beside her, but Nick was already gone. She glanced around hastily and found him pressed against the back of a wall, motioning for her to come. She dove into cover just as a floodlight shone where she was just a second ago.

"I remember this building from when I was little," He whispered. "It's the mayor's residence."

"Mayor Lionheart? He lives there?" Judy asked incredulously.

Nick nodded. "He doesn't have such an upstanding history, Judy. Former Dime Lions member, too. I just don't understand why he still chooses to live here."

"Neither do I," Judy agreed. The floodlight roamed past them again, and Nick shielded his eyes. Mentally, he was cursing at himself for leaving his sunglasses behind.

"Should we go in?" He asked.

Judy stuck her head around the wall once the floodlight passed. "Nada. Timber wolf guards at every entrance."

He raised an eyebrow. "Timber wolves, eh?" He said mischievously. He cleared his throat, and emitted a perfect howl.

There was a brief moment of silence, and then the other wolves started to howl.

"Not bad, Slick," Judy said appreciatively. She and Nick crept inside quietly, somehow avoiding all the distracted guards.

They backed up into a dim room. Nick pushed aside a broken hospital bed, and Judy ran her paw along deep gouges in the wall.

"I think this was a hospital," He breathed, his gaze traveling along a long scratch on the ground.

"Yeah, but what, or _who,_ could've made these scratches?" Judy asked, though in her mind, she already knew the answer.

 _This is it,_ her mind raced, her heart beating hard. _This is it. Lionheart's going down, down, down,_ her mind thought gleefully. _The scratches… They must be from the savage animals!_

She looked at the steel door that Nick was slowly advancing towards. _And that means I didn't let Bellwether down. Because…_

She let out a silent laugh. _Finally. This is what I've been looking for. Proof. Bellwether was right! It was Lionheart hiding the savage animals! Pin this on him, and it's all over! For_ all _predators! Forever!_

Her heart sang at the thought of keeping her friend.

 _Just open the door, Nick._

 **Ooo, finally! Now we know what Judy was looking for! Stay tuned!**


	14. Chapter 13

Nick opened the door slowly. It slid open without a sound, and he looked up. He just barely stifled a scream.

Rows of cells stretched on and on, spiraling into the darkness. Each cell was walled, covered with a glass door. The glass was tinted, so it was impossible to see inside. He put his paw on one of the shiny panes, reeling from the discovery.

A huge polar bear jumped at him and slammed into the glass, growling savagely and tearing deep claw marks into the glass.

Nick jumped back in shock. Judy pushed past him and made a face at the polar bear.

"So… What's this place?" She wondered out loud, trying to memorize every little detail. She kept her face impassive, but everything else in her body was screaming with joy.

Nick shook his head, still shaken from the polar bear. _Those eyes…_

His memory flashed back to the square, just three days ago. It seemed like a life away. _That tiger in the square…_

His gaze travelled down to a cell near the end, where a young tiger was curled up, sleeping. He glanced at Judy. She didn't seem to notice, or, if she did, she didn't seem to care.

He made his way down the aisle, trying to see inside the cells. He picked up a pair of glasses from the ground.

The cell right beside them seemed empty, but when he put his snout up to the glass, he could make out a sleek shape in the dark. The creature's eyes were wide and wild, _primitive and savage,_ even.

He caught a glimpse of a checkered sweater and sleek fur, and realized who this was.

"Mr. Otterton?" Nick tried. If this was Mr. Otterton, the creature gave no response. It turned its head towards the sound of Nick's voice and gave a flash of teeth. Nick fumbled out the picture Mrs. Otterton had given him, the family portrait. He pressed it up against the glass. "Mr. Otterton? Officer Wilde, ZPD. Sir, your wife is very worried. Are you –"

The creature scrabbled up against the glass, tiny claws raking across the surface. A mangled otter face showed, and then disappeared again into the darkness inside. Nick backed up. He looked up and down the corridor, counting the cells.

"13, 14, 15…" He muttered. "Including Manchas, that – that's 15."

 _"We have 14 missing mammal cases,"_ Chief Bogo had said.

"Fourteen," He said out loud. Judy looked at him.

She opened her mouth to say something, when a clanging at the door and a string of curses paralyzed them both.

Nick grabbed Judy and pulled them into an empty cell. He pulled out his phone and pressed record.

A badger and Mayor Lionheart walked down the corridor.

"Enough! I don't want excuses, Doctor, I want answers," The mayor growled uncharacteristically. Nick shivered. The mayor was scary enough when he's being kind. Now, the lights dimmed and his brows furrowed in anger, it really looked like he was "King of the jungle."

The badger tapped her clipboard. "Mayor Lionheart, please. We're doing everything we can."

"Really? 'Cause I've got a dozen-and-a-half animals here who've gone off the rails crazy, and you can't tell me why! Now I'd call that awfully far from doing everything!"

"Sir, it may be time to consider their biology."

"What? What do you mean 'biology'?" Lionheart said. Nick mouthed it darkly right along with him.

The badger scurried to block Lionheart's path. "The only animals going savage are predators. We cannot keep it a secret, we need to come forward."

The phone shook a little, and Nick breathed out slowly. Judy had gone completely still beside him, like she was caught in headlights.

Mayor Lionheart tapped his snout. "Hm, great idea. Tell the public. And how do you think they're gonna feel about their Mayor, _who is a lion_?! I'll be ruined!" He roared. His roar echoed through the hallway, and the savage animals echoed with their own eerie choir.

The badger tried again. "Well, what does Chief Bogo say?"

"Chief Bogo doesn't know. And we are going to keep it that way."

Just at that moment, Nick's phone buzzed. Huge "TIME'S UP!" letters appeared across the screen as it played the Carrot theme. He cursed himself for setting the alarm. He never needed one anyways.

"Someone's here!" Lionheart exclaimed.

"Sir, you need to go. Now. Security, sweep the area!" The badger ordered, ushering the mayor to the door and slamming it closed behind her.

Judy came to life and snatched the phone out of Nick's paws. She tapped the screen rapidly and passed it back.

The door opened again and timber wolves came in, sweeping the cells with flashlights.

Judy tried to open the cell door. It wouldn't budge.

The flashlight swept across the floor, swinging in wide arcs. Judy tried to pry the door open again. Nothing.

Nick seemed eerily calm. She expected him to be full out panicking, but instead, he was busy fiddling with the toilet cover. It was taller than he was.

"Would you stop that?" She hissed. "We don't have time!"

As if on cue, the cover flipped open. Nick dragged Judy inside just as the flashlight ran over their cell. He breathed a sigh of relief as the light bounced past them, but realized that the water was moving.

"Breathe!" He managed to yell at Judy, before the cover slammed shut and they were flushed away.

* * *

They tumbled with the water, over and over. Water was everywhere. Everything was the same murky shade of black, and her eyes stung.

Judy surfaced, and she took a big gulp of air. Then another. And another. For the first time in her life, she realized how lucky she was to have air.

She looked around, but she couldn't see Nick anywhere.

"Slick?" She called out, her voice uncertain. "Wilde? Nick?" She tried, her voice growing stronger, but desperate. "Nick!?"

He burst out of the water, completely drenched, and dragged himself onto shore. "We have to tell Bogo," He gasped.


	15. Chapter 14

**Sorry it's late; I got stuck on a bus without wifi.**

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in mamillian court…" Officer Francine droned as she pulled away Mayor Lionheart, who was bound in handcuffs and bathed in red and blue light. Squad cars surrounded the entire estate.

"No! You don't understand! I'm a good man! I'm a good man!" He shouted, but only Judy was listening.

"You know exactly what you did, Lionheart," she accused, her ears flattening.

"Listen to me," he said, leaning closer to her. "We still don't know what's making those pred – mammals go savage."

Judy glanced back. Nick was busy talking to Bogo, and too far away to hear. Her face cracked open in a grin.

"I think we both know, don't we?" She asked innocently. "After all, it's all in our _biology._ "

Mayor Lionheart's eyes widened, whether in fear or surprise she couldn't tell.

Officer Francine tugged at the lion, and he was dragged away.

Judy gave him a sincere wave.

"No! I'm the mayor! The people need me!" He roared. "I was just trying to protect the city!"

She shook her head sadly. "A fine mayor you were, Lionheart, but what Zootopia needs is a leader that stands for 90% of our population."

Nick strode over to her, eyes bright. For the first time since she'd met him, he actually looked comfortable and _proud_ to wear his badge.

"The chief just personally commended me on solving the case," he bragged. He twitched his eyebrows and Judy couldn't help but laugh. "But, hey. I didn't do it alone. Thanks." He held out a paw to Judy.

She smiled broadly. "Likewise, partner." She took his paw and shook.

He began turning away, but paused. "You are coming to the press conference, right?"

Her eyes lit up. Piece by piece, the plan was falling into place. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

* * *

"Ladies and Gentlemammals, fourteen mammals went missing, and all fourteen have been found by our newest recruit, who will speak to you in a moment." Chief Bogo's booming voice spread through the auditorium. In Nick's head, the voice was nicely compartmentalized into a little box at the back of his mind, along with his nervousness.

He stood, perfectly calm and prepared, ready for the task at hand. Meanwhile, Judy was gnawing her claws off. Her mind was a whirlwind of emotions and thoughts. Somewhere in there, a little voice was telling her that she shouldn't trust Bellwether, should stay away from Bellwether, that Bellwether was bad, but it was overwhelmed by the need to please her friend. _A little more, just a little more. This is it. The climax, the finale. Just show Zootopia. I'm making the world a better place._

Nick noticed her pruning her nails to oblivion, and nudged her gently. "What are you nervous about? I'm the one getting up on stage."

She rolled her eyes, but it did nothing to ease her nerves. "Just in case you fail." _And even if you don't._

He snorted and went back to standing, paws clasped behind his back in military style.

Bellwether soon came over and pushed him onto the stage, none too gently. He didn't seem to notice, or if he did, was courteous enough not to show it on live television.

"And now," Chief Bogo announced, "I'll turn things over to the officer who cracked the case. Our first fox, Officer Nick Wilde."

He scanned the crowd carefully and picked a reporter. "Yes?"

"What can you tell us about the animals going savage?" The beaver said, words rushed together to almost be incomprehensible.

"Well, there have been 14 mammals that went savage. It doesn't seem to be just one species." Judy's ear twitched. It's obvious he's well prepared. It just makes it much harder.

"Okay, so what is the connection?" The reporter continued.

Nick glanced at Judy desperately. She shrugged, even though she knew exactly what he meant. _They're all predators,_ her heart sang, in the beat of another. Of course they were.

Nick was still floundering, and Judy saw her chance. She leapt up on stage and gently nudged him away from the microphone. "Hi! My name is Judy Hopps, and I was an informant for this case," She said, her voice high and chipper. "I believe what Officer Wilde here was trying to say was that the affected animals are all members of the predator family."

Furious scribbling commenced.

"So predators are the only ones going savage?" A ram yelled.

Her eyes bore into him. _Doug,_ she hissed inwardly.

"Yes, that is correct," She managed through gritted teeth.

"Why? Why is this happening?" A frantic pig screamed.

She glanced at Nick. He seemed frozen.

"We still don't know. But it may have something to do with biology."

Furious scribbling.

She took this time to look pointedly at Bellwether. The sheep had a grim smile set on her face. She gave Judy a solemn nod to continue, and her heart soared.

"What do you mean by that?"

"A biological component. You know, something in their DNA." Judy was on a roll, all nervousness forgotten.

"In their DNA, can you elaborate on that please?"

"Yes. Thousands of years ago, predators survived through their aggressive hunting instincts. For whatever reason, they seem to be reverting back to their primitive, savage ways," she said, with all the familiarity of someone reading from a script. And she was. One that had been carved in stone nearly 18 years ago.

Some technician somewhere got the hint, and the bright backdrop behind Judy changed pictures. They emerged, one by one. Predators attacking prey. Muzzles and containment units. T.A.M.E. collar testing.

Nick still seemed frozen, but now his eyes were narrowed in anger. His fangs were bared, and for once, they were intentional. Bellwether stepped pointedly in front of him and signaled a good job to Judy.

"Officer, could it happen again?"

She laughed. "I'm not an officer. Again, I'm just a concerned citizen, such as yourself. I think I speak for everyone when I say that we're not sure whether this will continue, but be vigilant. Every mammal, no matter how small, can help Zootopia become a better place!"

"Will more mammals go savage?"

"What is being done to protect us?"

"Have you considered a mandatory quarantine on predators?"

The press was going wild.

Bellwether trotted onto the stage and gently led Judy down. "That's all the time we have. No more questions."

"Did I do well?" She asked breathlessly.

Bellwether's eyes turned hard the minute they were off camera. "Judy, while it's been a great run we've had, I think it would be wise if we terminated our relationship."

She couldn't believe what she just heard. "What?" She said, her voice hardly above a whisper.

Bellwether smiled sadly, but she didn't seem sorry. "I'm sorry, Judy. It's in both of our best interests."

And then, as if that was that, as if it made up for six years of "friendship," she was gone. And Judy was alone, again. She barely realized what happened, it went so fast, but now a stone was sinking in her stomach.

"I think you said plenty, don't you think?"

She whirled around to see Nick, standing there, eyes blazing in anger. "Was it just me, or did it seem like you knew exactly what was going to happen? Hmm? Almost like it was planned?"

She tried one last card. "I just stated the facts of the case. I mean, it's not like a bunny could go savage."

He growled. "I'm not a bunny, now, am I? No? Right!" He chuckled. "I almost forgot I'm a _fox._ "

"Nick, I didn't mean it like that! You're not that kind of predator."

"Oh? You mean a fox? Sneaky, conniving, slick and sly, is that right? The kind of predator that needs to be muzzled?" He laughed ruefully. "I thought you were my friend, Judy."

"I – A friend? You – you thought of me as a friend? Even after everything? After – after the collar, my past, my job… Everything?"

"You know how I grew up. I was in your exact position, once. I wanted to give you a second chance. I thought you weren't a bad person, Judy, but now…" His voice turned deep, menacing, even. "I don't know if I believe that anymore. Out of respect for our _friendship,_ I'm not going to arrest you, but I'd be glad to see you behind bars."

He shouldered his way past the crowds of photographers, shooting one last dark look at Judy. She tried to follow, but the reporters immediately surrounded her, plagued her with questions.

"Wait! Nick!" She shouted, but he ignored her, and all she could see was the tip of his tail: there and then gone.


	16. Chapter 15

**BTW, my Nick took a little longer to become a police officer because he needed more time to work and save up money for the police academy and move to Zootopia than Judy.**

 **Anyways, this chapter's about Judy. The next one's going to be about Nick's thoughts at this same time.**

Hopping off the Zootopia Express, it's almost like walking into a still picture.

Everything looks exactly the same. It's hard to believe that after six years, everything stays so pristine. The years all blur together now, but maybe it's just the tears clouding her eyes. It's hard to believe. Truly. She couldn't recall a thing on the train, but now, stepping onto the soft, lush grass, she remembered. Her paws trod past every pothole and mound in the dirt, just like she did for 18 years. Past the dusty roads, farm fields, fences and signs… The counter was still ticking rapidly, of course, but she knew that one of those ticks was her, arriving home.

Judy brushed her paw along the sign, feeling the rough bumps of the paint, twisting and swirling in that beautiful name.

 _Bunnyburrow._

Home.

She wouldn't let herself think of the bright, bustling city of Zootopia. What had she hoped to gain there? Fame? Power? Riches and glory?

 _Fear,_ a voice whispered, and she didn't try to combat it. Judy knew exactly why she went to Zootopia. She just didn't know how she ever left her home.

She smoothed down her pink flannel shirt and jeans, wardrobe from back in the day. Absentmindedly, she picked up a stalk of grass from the curbside and chewed on it. Delicious. So much better organic.

She hadn't seen her parents since she left. She wanted to, she really did, but sometimes, just when she was about to pick up the phone, she'd be reminded of what they expected her to be.

A police officer.

That one dream, still stubbornly in her head, but she knew why it could never be. She shook it out.

A weathervane rose in the distance, and she quickened her step. She could see the logo emblazed on it already: Hopps Family Farms.

She would've been a part of it, once upon a time.

She knocked on the door, gingerly. A high pitched squeal came from inside, and she was rammed backwards as two of her little brothers piled on. She couldn't even remember their names, she had so many.

"Conn! Brekker!" Her mother called. Judy's ears shot up. Her mom's voice.

"Hi, mom," She managed awkwardly, as Bonnie Hopps raced to the door to investigate the disturbance. Flour was caught everywhere from her ears to her apron. Her eyes immediately widened when she saw Judy, and, forgetting about the flour, wrapped her in a hug.

"Oh, Judy. You finally came to visit!"

Judy stood herself back up and dusted off the flour. She gave Bonnie a sad smile and dropped her backpack on the ground. Dozens of newspaper clippings spilled onto the floor. "Can we talk?"

* * *

When Judy finished talking, she wanted her mother to yell at her, shun her, at least scold her. After everything she's done, lie, cheat, steal, fight, she wanted it. But she didn't expect it. She expected her to be _afraid._

"Judy, you could've told us," Bonnie said, tears welling up. "We never knew. All these years, we thought you hated us. You could've come back. You would've been a great carrot farmer!"

"I never hated you. I would never hate you." Judy dipped her head. "But I couldn't come back. I – I was too proud, I guess. I just couldn't face coming back."

Bonnie hugged her daughter. "It's never too late to come back, Judy. We're always here for you, you know that."

"But what do you think I should do? I mean… Nick would never forgive me. Not for this."

"Honey," Bonnie cooed, smoothing back Judy's ears like she used to do when she was little, "Here. Let me show you something."

Judy heard the truck pull up in front of the house long before Bonnie took her out to see it. Her eyes widened in surprise as she saw her father, Stu, helping a fox unload pies.

"Gideon Grey?" She said. The fox turned around.

"Well, I'll be darned," He whistled, smiling with crooked teeth.

"I haven't seen you since…" Her voice trailed off. "You know, I forget when I last saw you," She said, though she knew exactly when. 6 years ago. At the train station. Laughing his head off.

He laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. "You know, I don't know either." He was about to say something else, but Judy spoke first.

"No hard feelings. Really. We were kids. I was kind of a jerk too, you know." She mimed claws and snarling. "All that pent up inner aggression."

He closed his jaw.

Stu wiped sweat off his brow. "So, Judy. What do you think? He's our business partner. You moving to Zootopia really motivated us to try working with predators."

Bonnie wrapped her arm around his shoulders and nodded. "Yeah, Judy. See? Anyone can change their way of thinking."

" _Anyone can change their way of thinking,_ " She whispered.

Her mind flashed back to everything she's ever done.

Then back to her sudden outburst with Gideon: "No hard feelings."

Does she really believe that?

"Yes," She suddenly blurted out. Her parents both looked at her strangely. "Yes!" She shouted again, joy leaking into her voice. "Yes! Yes, yes, yes!"

She took off running, ditching her backpack. She loses those everywhere. Her parents were thoroughly puzzled now, but her mind was clear. For once, no strings were pulling her. Judy Hopps was free to think for herself.

And her path led to Zootopia, to a certain fox, and a certain incident she has to own up for.

"Thank you! Thanks so much!" She called back, budding with joy. Stu gave her a confused half wave, but Gideon just saluted. She returned it.

She knew what she must do, even if it goes against all her instincts.

Then again, instincts don't control everything.


	17. Chapter 16

**Sorry about the WAAAYYY too long delay. Writer's block combined with an annoying mandatory vacation made it impossible to write.**

 **Anyways, this chapter is dedicated to one of my best friends, Shvetlana, who recently left the country and will never ever be coming back. I'LL MISS YOU LANA!**

"Dispatch to unit six, please state your location," Nick droned into the microphone, sweeping his tail across the floor in boredom. He rubbed a tired paw over his face. Dark circles ringed his eyes and his ashen fur nearly blended in with his blue uniform, crisply pressed despite his appearance.

The microphone crackled back a nearly incomprehensible reply, and he jotted it down quickly. He passed the slip to one of the passing attendants and flopped onto the desk.

Clawhauser passed by him with a stack of coffee. He gave Nick a sad, momentary glance, before descending the stairs to Records.

Giving a sigh of resolution, Nick grabbed a paper bag off the desk next to the "Reception" sign – his breakfast – and chased the Cheetah down the stairs.

"Benjamin!" He shouted. The cheetah stared at the floor and quickened his step . A drop of coffee spilled onto the floor. "Benjamin!"

Finally, Clawhauser paused. Nick caught up to him and passed him the paper bag. "Honey glazed, your favourite," he offered.

Clawhauser took it and broke into a grin. "You know I can't stay mad at you for long," he chuckled. They pushed open the door and entered the Records room. "So, how's the reception job working for you?" He asked, already stuffing the donut in his mouth.

Nick shrugged. "I mean, it's nice how the chief wants me to the be the "face of the force: and all, definitely a promotion, but it's not me. I'm not a very sociable animal."

Clawhauser snorted. "Yeah. I can tell. You look horrible."

Nick smoothed back his ears. "It's your post. You were the best mammal for the job. I feel horrible about taking it. And… for breaking the city."

The cheetah waved it away. "It wasn't your fault. The city was always broken. But we needed a fresh face out there to bring it back together."

Nick siled, but just barely. "I've been trying to find Ju - the rabbit that took over the press conference. Between that and work... I haven't slept much these last two days."

Clawhauser nodded. "Hey, what's up with the thing-a-ma-jig around your neck?" He pointed to the collar, peeking out of Nick's shirt.

He straightened his collar and hid it from view. "It's nothing."

The cheetah started humming to himself while flipping through a cabinet of files. Nick couldn't stand the silence. "It's just – she was a good friend. She showed me parts of Zootopia I never would've seen on my own! I didn't know what I was missing. It's just... Why would she betray me like that? I thought we were friends."

Hey, pass me the Henderson file, would'ya? " Nick slid him a file.

"I swore when I joined this force, that I would uphold the law and deter crime at any cost. But... It guess it was harder than I thought to get rid of old habits. She was the first thing in this city that made sense. When I got here, I swear everything was one big facade. Everyone was nice and friendly... Too nice and friendly. I swear I was just waiting to get jumped. But then Ju - she came along, and suddenly, there was someone I knew, someone I understood, could read, someone who was honest, as if that wasn't already an oxymoron."

"And the Otterton case file? I need to close that."

"A thug at the very least, charming, easy to adapt, easy to switch back, responds with force in the face of danger... You must think I'm an idiot . Or at least suicidal.

"Brown file?"

"But I'm used to it! I mean… I was used to it. Even this thing!" He put a paw on his collar. "Even this thing! It's just... It… Can I trust you?"

Clawhauser looked around. "Me? Trust me with what?"

"Can I trust you?"

He shurrged. "Yeah. Okay. You have my word."

Nick took a deep breath. "You see this on my neck?"

"The thing-a-ma-jig?"

"It's a T.A.M.E. collar."

"Whoa! Weren't those banned?" Clawhauser seemed genuinely concerned now.

"I guess. But... These things were everywhere in my home town. We'd use them, well, pretty much for policing. What little policing we did have. And..."

"And? There's an 'and'? Where'd you even get that thing?"

"I - _She_ put it on me."

"Should I call for help? Are you in danger? Is –"

"No! This is what I meant! You mammals think it's some kind of medieval torture weapon, but sincerely, it's an electrical zap. That's it. No permanent damage, no nerves deadened. It's the gentleman's way of keeping someone in line . Much more humane than half of our prisons."

Clawhauser blinked. "What are you even trying to argue about?"

"I - I don't know." He growled in frustration. "I sincerely don't know. It's probably just lack of sleep." he started to turn out of the room, but Clawhauser stopped him.

"You know I'm always here for you, right? Me and the force. You're one of us now."

Nick smiled. "Thanks." And went back to his post.

By the end of the day, his spirits were buoyed. The talk with Clawhauser really helped him vent . He opened the door to his apartment and folded his uniform gently. He put a salmon fillet in the microwave and stuffed everything else in his closet.

Nick picked up a marker from his table and took off the cap. A whiteboard on the wall showed everything he needed to know. Sticky notes and blurry pictures and scribbles and lines and string and chaos was scattered across it, and in the end, they all linked to one mammal: Judy Hopps. However much he tried to deny it, anything and everything connected to the Savage case connected to her.

Stomping outside his window drew his attention. He peeked out the blurry glass to see a crowd piling up on a major street intersection, holding signs and yelling. A pig seemed to lead the protest. He sighed and drew the blinds.

The city was going crazy, becoming more and more hateful against predators, and all he could think about was how he was the one that was responsible. Chief Bogo had taken him aside that day of the arrest, commended him on his job well done, and asked whether or not he wanted to be the face of the ZPD. He'd jumped at the opportunity of a promotion, but he didn't know this would happen. Tension was rising high in the city, prey pitted against predators, predators trying to escape it all. Suddenly, a predator represents the ZPD, a recent change at that, and now everyone thinks the police are taking a side.

Letting out what seemed like the millionth sigh in the past few days, he added another thick, black line from T.A.M.E. collars to Judy, overlapping countless other lines. He didn't want to believe it. He really didn't. But he saw her shoot that tiger, and he saw her break into the assistant mayor's office. He had to believe that, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she was behind the savage mammals. But he didn't want to.

A knock at the door nearly made him jump out of his pelt. He immediately flipped the whiteboard around and grabbed his taser, almost out of habit. Only now did he realize the apartment didn't have a peep-hole, and it made him anxious.

Finally, he just gave up on the paranoia and threw the door open. The first thing he saw was a pair of ears, tipped with dark gray.

"I need to tell you something."


	18. Chapter 17

**You know what? Since I've already been doing it for a month, the update date is now Thursday.**

Nick slammed the door in Judy's face, but found it wedged open with a taser. He looked at his other paw. Empty.

Frustrated, he threw the door open and glared at the bunny. "What."

"Nighthowlers."

"Is that supposed to mean something?"

Judy's smile dropped immediately. He turned around to see what she was looking at, and saw that his board had swung around to the front again. He mentally cursed gravity as Judy stormed inside.

"Out," He growled. She either didn't hear, or didn't care.

She stood directly in front of the board and scanned the entire thing. Then, she pulled out her wallet, and stuck a new picture beside hers on the center of the board.

Nick slammed the door shut and reholstered his taser. His tail was bristling in fury and his eyes might as well be blazing. But he took one look at the picture and froze.

The grainy photo was taken somewhere very dim, with bright fluorescent lights. Mayor Bellwether, wearing a pair of goggles and a lab coat stood hunched over a case. Nick could just barely make out the edges of a familiar looking gun. Fuzzy grey fur rimmed the edge, as if taken from a phone.

"Is that –" He was too shocked to even finish the sentence.

He turned to see Judy looking at him intently, as if daring him to make a move. The pieces began to line up in his head. He could tell Judy expected it too, if that was the reason at all she came.

"You – And – Sahara Square – Manchas –" He sputtered, unable to even form a coherent thought. Memories and flashes from the last three days hit him like a wave.

"Nighthowlers are a type of flower, indigenous to Bunny Burrow. They cause madness in anyone it touches. That –" She pointed to the gun in the photo, "is modified to shoot pellets of concentrated Nighthowler juice. Bellwether and I have been planning this for years." Her face was stone.

That cinched it. No disputes. Nick closed his eyes. "Judy Hopps, you are under arrest."

He grabbed her wrist not too lightly and looked around for his handcuffs.

"Wait."

He braked in his step.

She closed her eyes. "What I told you on the tram… It wasn't the full story. Yes, Gideon scratched me, but it goes much longer than that."

"Why should I listen to you?" He asked darkly, but her gaze held.

"It's Bellwether you want. I'll help. Just listen."

Nick gritted his teeth so hard they drew blood. " _Fine._ "

She launched into a story immediately, almost like she'd planned for it. It flowed easily, and all the hardness in her face faded into calm.

"I worked on my family's farm for a long time, but I always knew something was missing. When I finally realized that I wanted to be a police officer, my parents tried to talk me out of it. It took months and years of training and working and studying, but I finally decided to try to go to a police academy. _The_ police academy. But… At my first fight in the ring... I almost killed a mammal. It wasn't self-defence or anything. I just… I don't know. I snapped. I blacked out, and the next thing I knew, they were dragging me away from an unconscious rhino."

"I was dishonourably discharged and told never to come back," she spat. "That. Was. It. And why? You ask? Because they didn't _expect_ a bunny to be scary."

"Bellwether came to me. She took me under her wing, became my only friend. She put my skills to a different use, a better use, in a section of Zootopia where I would be respected, never underestimated, _feared._ I became the boogeyman, the name parents use to scare their kids. ' _Go to sleep now, or Judy Hopps will get you.'_ I was at the top of the world. And Bellwether had given me all that."

Nick listened with rapt attention, arrest forgotten. Her voice sounded hoarse, as if the words had been bottled up for so long, they've gone to sleep.

"I wanted to change that for all prey. We both did. Take the predators out of play, put the prey at the top of the food chain. That's been my goal ever since that first day, even as I hop across districts and identities. Ever since I was a little bunny and just wanted to make the world a better place. But now… It just doesn't feel right."

He still didn't want to believe her. The reasonable part of him shouted at him, _she's a criminal. She betrayed you to the world. She's headlining the biggest conspiracy in all of Zootopia. She's loud and reckless and too much._

Still.

The collar weighed heavy on him, almost in a stranglehold.

Judy suddenly reached up and ripped away the collar. She snapped it swiftly on her own neck, and Nick watched as the red light blinked on.

"Why did you –"

"I did what I did because I thought you were the monster. But you're not. You never were. I did it because I thought Bellwether would appreciate it. She didn't. She never will. I did it because I thought Bellwether was my only friend." She smiled a beautiful smile, torn between sadness and joy, yet radiating. "She's not."

She clicked the controller, and his own voice played back to him.

" _It's just – she was a good friend. She pushed me to do things I would never do. She showed me parts of Zootopia I never would've seen on my own! I didn't know what I was missing. It's just… Why would she betray me like that? I thought we were friends."_

Nick looked at her in shock.

"Fine. Okay. I admit it. The whole Big fiasco was a setup. Sure, I wanted my money, but it was a small job. I just really needed to plant the collar and mic on you."

She reached out and straightened his badge.

"Officer," She said, and saluted sharply. Tears were welling up in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, and if I could take it back, I would. Every last word. Every remark I ever made, I'm sorry. I – You were never the monster, Nick. I was. I – I really am just a dumb bunny." At that, she started crying.

 _We're not so different,_ he thought, but what he said was, "so you become a _professional_ at hurting others? Are you kidding me? That's it? That's the big reveal?"

She looked up at him. She still hated how he was taller than she was. Her voice was even, still, tears long forgotten. "No. I wanted to prove myself. You'd never understand that, would you? Everyone thinks you're so big and ferocious, and I don't understand why you keep dodging it! All my life, I've been a dumb bunny. That's it. Just a dumb bunny. I need to constantly prove my strength, my worth, and I'm sick of it! All of it! All I want is for others to be afraid of me, okay? Just that. If – If I could get even one mammal to fear me… That's all I want." Her voice had quieted down, as if she couldn't believe she was saying all this out loud.

They stood, arm's length apart, stuck in an awkward silence.

Nick stepped forward and wrapped her in a hug. "Hush. You bunnies. So emotional."

She wiped her tears on her sleeve. "You aren't mad?"

"Oh, I'm mad. But you're going to help me, darlin', or you'll be flashing that smile of yours in prison."

Her ears flopped in relief and she buried her face in his chest.


	19. Chapter 18

**I literally forgot about this for five months, didn't I? Well, brace yourselves, anyone who's still reading this, because this story's going to end in the next week or so. Good luck to our heroes!**

It was a dark and gloomy night on this dark and gloomy road in a dark and gloomy part of the city. The Natural History Museum had the only lights in this district of abandoned shops and graffiti-covered stalls.

They'd taken an underground tunnel, ditching the joke-mobile in favour of Finnick's unmarked, less-suspicious truck. That had taken a bit of convincing, but ended with Nick getting himself assigned to the fennec fox's district and promising not to bother him.

Judy drove silently, a dead look in her eyes. Nick would be scared if he didn't know that she was getting into character; a cold, ruthless killer set on a dictatorship led by prey. His tail itched, stuffed rather inelegantly under a utility belt, but he couldn't complain. Just because he has night vision doesn't mean others don't. So he covered every bit of his red fur under cloth and paint. Better safe than sorry.

"You know the plan," Judy confirmed again, her voice a dead monotone.

Nick gulped. "Yes."

"Memorized the floor plans."

"Yes."

"Claws out."

"Ye – wait, what?"

Judy looks back, an eyebrow raised. A twitch of his finger indicated that she was perfectly fine with running them off the road.

"Fine," he conceded with a growl, his claws sliding out with a _snkt_.

Judy focused back on the road. "As long as the plan goes well, you won't need to use them."

The drive was otherwise silent.

The entire time, Judy refused to tell him where this mysterious "nighthowler lab" was, and Nick couldn't be more surprised when they pulled up next to an abandoned subway complex. Faded "ZTC" labels dotted the landscape.

"Your lab is in the subway?" He whispered. Judy winced as his seemingly low whisper echoed off the walls, fading only as the distance increased.

 _Quiet_ , she signed in sign language. She prayed that Nick understood it.

 _I understand_ , he signed back, and she breathed a silent sigh of relief.

It was an old subway car fitted with artificial lights and potting soil. They've been making bullets for the better part of a month now, planning for much more than just the dozen predators so far. Judy was supposed to snipe them all. The list was ready. But Manchas wasn't on it. Bellwether wanted nothing to do with her anymore.

Some friend.

Judy kept her heartrate steady. She couldn't risk setting off the collar, now weighing down her neck instead of Nick's. It was the right decision; she needed to show that she can be trusted. But now it's just plain annoying.

The plan was for Judy to distract anyone there by making a scene while Nick stole evidence. Simple enough. Any flower bulb would do the trick. A real bullet would be best.

Judy pushed the door open slowly. Rows of nighthowlers greeted her, planted in neat rows in planters. Doug was in there, wearing headphones and staring blankly at a dripping test tube. Nick stuck his head in and almost coughed. The flowers' smell was overwhelming.

He looked at Judy and nodded. She motioned for him to get back in the shadows. As soon as he pressed himself into the wall, she slammed open the door. Doug wheeled around, an empty syringe flying into the air.

"Missed me?" She announced loudly.

Nick took the opportunity to dive in before the door closed, hiding himself under a planter.

"Hey, so, we both know I'm the designated sniper, right?" Judy began, a goofy grin on her face, and her voice light and carefree. Doug was emotionless. "So, tell me, why is it that you got to shoot that panther? Hmm? The one that I'm sure wasn't on our list?"

Judy's pre-planned rant was going great. Doug didn't suspect a thing. Nick pried a few flowers away from the planter, and snagged an empty test tube. He stuffed it all in his utility belt.

Judy was wonderful at pretending to be ditzy. She spun on her heels as she talked, lightly, but the words were dark and menacing. She was going to wrap up when she caught sight of Nick signing something. _Gun._ A glimpse of shiny metal on the side table. She turned back around to face Doug, turning to block that table. "So, what was I saying? Ah, yes. You know, if you wanted to kill me, there were easier ways than turning a useless predator from the jungle savage."

The sheep just looked at her, utterly bored and unfazed. "Are we done here? I have work, you have work."

Judy ground her teeth for show. "Leave the shooting to me," she snarled, and stomped away. She slammed the door on the way out, effectively masking Nick tripping on the rails and doing a faceplant.

He showed her the flowers and the test tube. Judy rolled her eyes. _Gun?_

He smirked and angled his ears to her belt. It was hanging where a second ago there was fox repellant. Her eyebrows raised in surprise. _You learned._

 _I try._

They mimed a high five and turned to leave, and confronted a very angry Bellwether.

Judy immediately raised the gun. It was loaded, she could tell. The hammer was cocked, safety off, it was ready to fire.

Bellwether knew what it can do to her. She stopped in her tracks.

"Back up," Judy snarled.

She took a step back.

"Judy, I'm your friend, remember?"

Judy's face was still. You couldn't tell what she was thinking.

Bellwether dropped the act. "We work together. We're working towards a goal together. Our goal. Think of all we've done. Would you throw all that away?"

Nick saw Judy glancing desperately at him, and shook his head slightly, his eyes wide and scared. His paws were raised.

Judy took a step back from both of them.

"Come on, Judy. Think of all I've done for you. You can't possibly choose this _predator_ over your friends and family, right?"

Judy's paws trembled.

Bellwether got tired of the friend act. "Listen, bunny. You work for me. I've given you _everything,_ and this is how you repay me?"

Bellwether narrowed her eyes at the trembling rabbit. Her finger edged towards the trigger. "You won't dare shoot." As if to prove it, she pulled out her phone and pulled up the dial pad. Judy's paws were shaking. Bellwether smirked. She knew she had her. The bunny wouldn't dare disobey her.

"Shoot him," she commanded savagely.

Judy looked at the dart gun in her paws, then at Nick. His face was a mask of pure terror. _He doesn't know whether or not I'll shoot,_ she realized. She wanted to cry. _All this. All this, and he still doesn't trust me?_

"What are you waiting for, Hopps? Shoot him!" Bellwether yelled again.

The gun suddenly felt cold and foreign in her soft rabbit paws. She felt raw, like she was skidding too fast and didn't know when she'll stop.

Shoot Nick or lose all she had worked for.

Is that really the choice?

She looked at Nick, then Bellwether, then back at Nick again. His eyes were pleading, and his paws were raised high in the air, surrendering to her even though he's bigger and stronger. Bellwether stayed far, far away, a can of fox repellent clutched in her hand, a phone in the other.

 _You're already there,_ a little voice whispered to her. _Look at everyone around you. They're scared of you. They'll never underestimate you ever again. You have nothing left to prove._

She knew what she had to do.

"I have nothing left to prove," she said, a determined look in her eyes, and shot herself in the throat.


	20. Chapter 19

It wasn't planned. None of this was planned. It was supposed to go quietly. Grab proof and run. No one was supposed to see them. No one was supposed to know.

Those were the thoughts that raced through Nick's in the span of a second. He saw Judy in slow motion – giving up, turning the gun on herself, pointing the barrel at her throat. He didn't unload it. He thought it would be tampering with evidence. And now Judy pays the price.

"Hello? Police? I – It's Mayor Bellwether. I'm trapped in the subway with a savage animal! It – It's too dark! I can't see anything! Please hurry!" Bellwether was cooing into the phone, looking genuinely scared and near tears. Nick snatched the phone away and threw it at Judy. It clattered behind her, bouncing on the subway tracks.

Her eyes were narrowing now. Her teeth were bared. A bunny on all fours about to pounce would be the cutest thing ever if it wasn't so terrifying.

"Judy wouldn't dare hurt me," Bellwether sneered, but her voice rattled.

Nick began backing up, slowly. "That's not Judy."

She struck.

And suddenly, there was a gust of wind where a sheep used to be.

Nick jerked Bellwether away from Judy's pounce and shoved her forward. "Run," He told her. And she did.

Nick turned to face Judy, but the feral look in her eyes told him everything he needed to know. He bolted off after Bellwether, Judy following close behind. She was fast on four paws.

"Turn the corner," He instructed Bellwether, as they reached an intersection. She listened to him blindly, not even bothering to object. They rounded the corner, and Judy shot straight past and looped back around.

"Why – are – you – helping – me –" Bellwether managed to gasp out during the brutal chase. Nick pulled her back from an uncovered drain pipe the size of an elephant. It was straight drop down into water with just a rickety ladder that couldn't save anyone.

"I'm part of the ZPD. It's my job," He growled, too focused to change his tone. They were at a dead end.

He looked back at the drain pipe. Then at the fast-approaching Judy.

"Breathe," he said, the same nonchalant answer he gave Judy a lifetime ago.

He pushed her in, and jumped down after.

The water wasn't too far down. Barely a second passed, and they fell in.

Nick pulled Bellwether out, sopping wet, onto the cement bank. They were even farther below the city than the underground tunnels, if that was possible.

"So what's your grand plan? Get rid of all predators?" Nick demanded.

Bellwether scoffed. "You predators think you're so much better than us prey. Always the fastest, the strongest. Us prey make up 90% of the population. We deserve a better chance."

Nick wasn't convinced. "Who do you think half the public safety department is?"

"That's the point," Bellwether sneered. "This city needs a new status quo. And I'll dart every predator in Zootopia to make it that way."

A splash sounded in the water beside them. They froze. Judy hopped out, eyes gleaming, pose ready to strike.

"Get ready to…" Nick's words died on his tongue.

She smirked.

Judy stood up on two legs, and took a bow.

"Judy?" Nick asked unsurely.

"I mean, _it's not like a bunny can turn feral, right_?" Judy mocked, and pulled down her shirt collar.

Gleaming metal greeted them.

Nick had never been so glad to see that collar in his entire life.

"That – that can't be! You weren't hit?" Bellwether sputtered. She began backing up, ready to tackle the ladder, however unsafe.

Radio static cut into the tension in the air, and footsteps sounded above them. "We found another one!" Someone shouted. Nick looked at his utility belt, formerly full of flowers. Empty.

The sheep look back and forth between Judy and Nick. "You have no proof," she tried desperately. "It'll be my word against yours."

More stomping came from above, and a flashlight shined down the drainpipe. "Here! Here!"

Nick smiled knowingly at Judy.

"Bellwether, your time is up," She quipped, and raised the collar high in the air.

She pressed play.

" – I'll dart every predator in Zootopia to make it that way."

Nick wrapped his arm around her shoulders and raised an eyebrow at the shocked sheep.

She played it again, louder so all the gathering officers could hear.

The police officers circled around Bellwether and Chief Bogo personally put her in cuffs. Nick didn't imagine the expression of relief that came along with the arrest.

After everyone had been returned aboveground safe and sound and Bellwether had been taken away in the back of a squad car, Nick turned to Judy. He held out handcuffs and smiled. Judy rolled her eyes and held out her wrists.

 **Congrats to the reader that called it ahead of time!**


	21. The End

Nick sat at his cubicle, scribbling up a report for a drunk driver incident earlier in the day. Suddenly, his pencil was gone. He blinked and whirled around to find Judy standing there, twirling the pencil expertly.

"Don't you have five years?" He asked unceremoniously.

"Well," she tapped her chin thoughtfully with the pencil, "I decided to break out and seek revenge."

Nick was not amused.

Chief Bogo came strolling down the corridor. Hastily, Nick dropped his arm to his side and did a sharp salute, hitting himself hard in the forehead. Judy smirked.

"Officer Wilde?" He read off his clipboard, not taking his eyes off it. "It appears you have – oh, she's here."

He glanced at Judy. "Pardon me?"

"Your new partner."

Nick's heart flipped, as did his stomach. "I'm sorry?"

Bogo sighed. He looked at Judy. "Do you want to explain this, or do I have to spoon feed it to you too?"

She shrugged. "Well, I wouldn't mind that, but…" She took a badge out of her back pocket and shoved it in Nick's face. It looked identical to his own except for the title. "Criminal Informant," they read at the same time.

Nick sighed. "Am I the only one that doesn't know what that is?"

"Due to me being a great help on the case, as well as 'demonstrating trustworthy behaviour and qualities of bravery,'" she mocked, before she realized the chief was still there. "Ahem. I meant I get to help out on cases now. You know. Get you guys into the criminal mindset. I'd serve my sentence out here, with you as my supervising officer."

Nick looked from her to Chief Bogo. "You're kidding me, right? You'd let her? Roam free?"

"Well, I wouldn't exactly say _free_ …" Judy scoffed, and pulled down her collar. Shiny metal glinted back at him, accompanied with a blinking red light.

"Is that –" He seemed to be saying that a lot with her around.

"Yep. The newest T.A.M.E. collar. Pacified and repurposed for ZPD use."

A smile crept onto Nick's face. "So, you're telling me I get to tell you what to do for the next five years?"

"Sure," She chirped sweetly, voice thick as syrup. "If you dare," she added.

"I'll leave you two alone now. Wilde, get her added into the system and acquaint her with the other officers. Hopps, I'm putting my neck on the line for this arrangement. Don't disappoint me."

Judy cleared her throat and nodded professionally and solemnly.

The chief left, tapping on his phone.

She smirked at Nick. "I'm off. I'll get you guys some donuts, 'kay? All police love donuts, right?"

Nick had to resist the urge to trip her. As she turned away and bounded off in gliding jumps, Nick gazed after her wistfully. It wasn't natural or normal, he knew, but after all, we all have monsters within.

We are all someone's monster.

It's just that every monster is different.

 **And that marks the end of The Monster Within, the (so far) longest story I've stuck around for.**

 **I'd like to thank all my readers, and in particular TheCatweazle for their wonderful and insightful reviews, and the PM exchange that ended up enriching this story so much. Thank you.**

 **If you're still hungry for more story, check out some of my other (all discontinued or finished) stories, or go to my new webcomic Abnormal Geometry (not as nerdy as it sounds) or my P atreon! If I hit $50 in pledges, I'll start a new long-running story!**

 **Abnormal Geometry: abnormalgeometry dot smackjeeves dot com  
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 **mckee11223's p atreon: www dot p atreon dot com slash mckee11223  
**

 **(Weird format because apparently censors links)**

 **Oh, and also, happy 2017!**

 **And that's about it! Peace out! ~mckee11223**


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